The second round of Ontario’s Smart Grid Fund will contribute almost $24 million to support 17 ambitious smart grid projects that include energy storage, electric vehicle integration, microgrids, data analytics and more.
Total cost of the Round 2 phase of Ontario’s grid modernization is estimated to be $54 million.
The grid modernization forms a part of a commitment to develop an economic plan for the province, according to Ontario Government press release.
The modernization of energy storage will enable on-demand power which can be used to balance the requirements in the system.
Electric vehicle integration will help utilities and customers manage large-scale EV adoption challenges.
In addition, the grid modernization will enable two-way communications between customer and utility to provide efficiency progresses and cost control.
Another project, the microgrid innovation, will enhance efficiency of localized electricity generation sources, energy storage and electric loads which work independently of the primary electric grid.
The modernization project includes grid automation to take advantage of up-to-date hardware and software, which will allow operators remotely control and manage the grid
The grid improvement will cover data analytics to learn new areas for using smart meter data to mend investment verdicts and system performance.
The Smart Grid Fund was introduced in April 2011 and has so far funded 11 projects.
With almost 40 percent of Canada’s population, Ontario is one of the heavily populated province in Canada, ideal for smart grid deployments.
Sabeena Wahid
[email protected]