60 Years in Energy — From Car Batteries to Grid-Tied Solar, with Marc-André Duchesne of TCED

Description

In this new episode of Solar Synergy Initiative, we shine a light on TCED  Trans Canada Energy Distribution, a major partner of Solutions Otonomi for the past three years.

Marc-André Duchesne, Sales Director, welcomes us to the head office in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, a 35,000 sq. ft. warehouse.

Founded in 1964 by a couple who rebuilt car batteries for their neighbors, TCED has reinvented itself with every generation: inventing the booster pack in the 80s, importing solar panels in the 90s, then building a franchise network that now covers all of Quebec with a footprint extending across North America, the Caribbean, Mexico, and France.

Today, TCED is making a strategic shift: moving from off-grid solar, its historical expertise, to grid-tied solar, driven by Hydro-Québec's new programs. And Otonomi DX plays a key role in that transition: integrated directly on TCED's website, the tool qualifies a customer in 15 minutes instead of several hours, then dispatches leads to the right retail locations.

What's covered

• TCED's story: from rebuilt car batteries to the invention of the booster pack
• What TCED actually stands for (TransCanada Energy Distribution)
• 60 years of growth: from 20 employees in 1964 to 80 today
• More than 65 retail locations in Quebec and an international presence
• Why customer service and the one-stop-shop model make the difference
• The recent acquisition of Total Battery
• Shifting from off-grid to grid-tied with Hydro-Québec's new programs
• How Otonomi DX cut qualification time from 2–3 hours to 15 minutes
• The commercial grid-tied projects already underway at TCED

About the guest

Marc-André Duchesne has been Sales Director at TCED since 2004. He joined the company at 22  after an interview that ended with a tour of the facility and a same-day hire  and has watched TCED grow from 20 to 80 employees, leading every strategic turn along the way: from building the franchise network to the recent shift into grid-tied solar.

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