IESO to integrate local and provincial networks in $1.4m smart grid pilot

In Canada, the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) has announced C$1.4 million (US$1.1 million) in funding for a smart grid pilot that aims to integrate local energy networks with the provincial grid for reliability.

The funding will be released through the Grid Innovation Fund whilst an additional C$2 million (US$1.5 million) will be sourced from project partners.

Three projects will be funded and will test how technology can be used to efficiently coordinate energy use and supply on a local level and how reliability and resilience at a local level can be used for stability on IESO’s provincial system.

The three pilots include:

• Co-ordinating Provincial and Local Electricity Networks:

In this project, IESO is partnering with Survalent, Elexicon Energy, London Hydro, Waterloo North Hydro and Oakville Hydro to test how a digital platform can be used by utilities to access consumer energy usage patterns in real-time and use the insights to stabilise energy generation and supply.

The C$1 million (US$789,945) project will see IESO provide C$500,000 (US$394,972) in funding and project partners matching IESO’s investment.

Steve Mueller, the CEO of Survalent, said the project will help in “creating the future path for the energy marketplace in Canada. We are committed to creating an information platform that is scalable and vendor-agnostic so that it can be easily applied across other jurisdictions in the future, with little-to-no technology risk.”

• Creating Local Energy Markets:

This simulation project will model how local distribution companies can operate dynamic local electricity markets, similar to the IESO wholesale market operating at the provincial level. Here, local energy resources will compete to provide supply to meet local demand on an ongoing basis. This project is a partnership with Powerconsumer Inc., Newmarket-Tay Power Distribution, Elexicon Energy and NODES-tech. The IESO is providing C$480,000 (US$379,173) to the project with additional investments of C$1.1 million (US$868,939) from project partners.

• Enhancing Local Electricity Demand Forecasts: 

A new tool using real-time utility data and machine-learning techniques will be developed to create improved, hyper-local demand forecasts to optimise the use of solar panels, energy storage and electric vehicles for grid stability. This project is a partnership with Peak Power, Oshawa Power, and EnerFORGE. Funding amounts of C$425,000 (US$335,726) will be provided by the IESO and an additional C$425,000 from project partners.

Imran Noorani, chief strategy officer at Peak Power, added: “The electric grid is going to become the new gas station. We have to make sure our grid infrastructure is ready for the high adoption of EVs. We are excited to team up with Oshawa Power and the IESO to build a grid that can support a cleaner energy future.”

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Lesley Gallinger, the CEO of IESO, said: “Small-scale electricity supply in communities is growing rapidly with local generation, storage and demand response projects becoming increasingly cost-effective and reliable.

“As a grid operator, we see great potential for communities to help meet their own energy needs, but also help us in our work to ensure reliability across the province. These projects will help make that happen.”

Todd Smith, Minister of Energy added that local energy networks will help improve the integration and use of distributed energy resources to speed up the energy transition and ensure the provision of clean and affordable energy to consumers whilst decarbonising utility operations.

Employing smart grid technologies will help avoid the development of new infrastructure such as large generators and transmission lines to meet growing energy demand and customer base, according to a statement.

Since its inception in 2006, the IESO’s Grid Innovation Fund has supported 230 projects, taking innovative ideas from partners and turning them into knowledge that enables the reliability, effectiveness and resilience of the provincial electricity system.