The federal government announced a $2.9-million investment July 23 in Bracebridge Generation Ltd.’s Smart Proactive Enabled Energy Distribution Intelligently Efficiently Responsive (SPEEDIER) smart grid project. The project is to enable Parry Sound, Ontario, to eventually generate as much energy as it consumes, making it one of the first net-zero communities in Canada.
The investment is expected to increase electricity grid reliability, defer costly upgrades, make better use of existing assets, help speed the adoption of electric vehicles and give residents greater control over how they use energy. The project will help the community significantly reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and create jobs in an innovative and transformative field.
Funding for the project comes from the Smart Grid Program, which is part of the Government of Canada’s more than $180-billion Investing in Canada infrastructure plan.