Toronto: The Independent Electricity System Operator announced the selection July 25 of storage technologies from five companies that can offer ancillary services to support increased reliability and efficiency of the grid. The five companies are Canadian Solar Solutions Inc., Convergent Energy and Power LLC, Dimplex North America LTD, Hecate Energy and Hydrogenics Corp.
By procuring storage, Ontario will get a head start on testing new technologies to help manage the changing conditions on the power system, the IESO says. It will take what it learns from these new projects, totalling 34 megawatts, to understand how to better manage the day-to-day operation of the power grid using electricity storage.
“Storage facilities on the grid are a real game changer,” said Bruce Campbell, President and CEO of the IESO. “Our electricity system was built on the concept that you can’t store large amounts of electricity – we produce electricity at the same time as we consume it. Energy storage projects will provide more flexibility and offer more options to manage the system efficiently.”
All successful projects must provide at least one ancillary service to the power grid:
• Regulation service: acts on a second-to-second basis to match generation to demand and helps correct variations in power system frequency.
• Reactive Support and Voltage Control Service: are needed to maintain voltages and support the flow of electricity along power lines.
These projects include facilities connected to the high voltage transmission network in southern and northern Ontario, and projects connected to the distribution system in southern Ontario.
“Investing in energy storage technologies is an important part of the Ontario government’s plan to provide clean, reliable and affordable power to consumers,” said Bob Chiarelli, Ontario Minister of Energy. “Together with the IESO, we’re building a smarter, more advanced grid that will ensure our entire system uses energy as efficiently as possible.”
The Ontario government’s Long-Term Energy Plan identified the need to move forward with 50 MW of energy storage. The Ontario Power Authority will follow this procurement by the IESO to obtain the remainder of the 50 MW target.
In addition to the above, Renewable Energy Systems Canada Inc. announced final certification August 5 of the company’s second energy storage system, Amphora.
Located in Central Strathroy, west of London, Ontario, the system comprises a +/-4 megawatt (8MW total range)/ 2.6 MWh lithium battery that will provide frequency regulation to the IESO. Amphora will operate under a three year agreement with the IESO and the facility has a lifespan of more than 10 years. The project utilizes lithium iron phosphate, an inherently safe variant of lithium battery chemistry, and consists of two containers that house batteries weighing approximately 20 tons each, as well as a third container that converts the direct current output to alternating current for the grid. The equipment was supplied by BYD America.
For more information on current developments in Ontario-based storage technology, readers may wish to review the plans for APPrO’s Technical Conference and Energy Storage Symposium, taking place in parallel with the APPrO annual conference November 18 and 19 2014. See https://conference.appro.org.