Ontario grid operator awards contracts for nine energy storage projects

The Ontario Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) on Nov. 23 said it awarded contracts for nine energy storage projects totaling 16.75 MW. The projects complete IESO’s plan to secure a total of 50 MW of energy storage in Ontario, the organization said. Through a competitive request for proposals, the IESO selected five companies to develop the projects.

Those companies are Ameresco Canada, SunEdison Canada Origination, NextEra Canada Development & Acquisitions, NRStor, and Baseload Power Corp. "Storage technology remains one of the most innovative and exciting aspects of our energy policy, particularly because of the incredible potential it presents. It will help strengthen our system and improve service to electricity consumers," Bob Chiarelli, Minister of Energy, said in a statement. "Our government is proud to see the leadership of these five Ontario companies as they move forward to create good jobs and invest in their local economies."

According to the IESO, the nine project contracts are focused on capacity value – the ability to be available to store energy and provide it back when called upon – and arbitrage value – the ability to store energy during periods of lower prices and inject it back into the electricity system when prices rise – of energy storage.

Among the projects will be Baseload Power’s Milton energy storage project on the site of Milton Hydro’s new head office. The project, which is a four-hour 2 MW flow battery with the ability to store up to 8 MWh of energy, will feed into Milton Hydro’s distribution system.

In addition, SunEdison will provide a total of 5 MW, 20 MWh of energy storage systems over three separate projects using flow battery technology with plant controls that will deliver energy to the IESO grid. The battery system will use a Vanadium Redox chemistry. NRStor will build a fuel-free compressed air energy storage facility that will provide 7 MWh of storage capacity to the IESO. Additional projects include NextEra Canada’s Parry and Elmira lithium ion-based facilities as well as two battery-solid facilities by Ameresco that will deliver power to Newmarket Hydro’s distribution grid.

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/articles/2015/11/ontario-grid-operator-awards-contracts-for-nine-energy-storage-projects.html