GRID20/20, Inc. has…

GRID20/20, Inc. has successfully completed a 21 month Smart Grid Fund (SGF) Demonstration Project (i.e., 2014- 2015) in Ontario.   During this project, an Ontario Local Distribution Company (i.e., LDC) concluded a successful experience using the GRID20/20 intra-grid solution to locate grid anomalies, improve grid management capabilities, and identify unauthorized/unmetered line losses. As a result, the LDC has since commenced its initial commercial engagement with GRID20/20. GRID20/20's SGF project has been publicly considered a 'Success Story' by the Ontario Ministry of Energy.

According to the 2015 Ontario Energy Board's (i.e., OEB) LDC data, all distribution providers collectively experienced losses equating to 4,639,679,517 kilo Watt hours (i.e., 4.64 Billion kWh, or 4.6 Tera Watt Hours).  At an average cost of $0.1117 per kWh in Ontario, these distribution grid losses exceeded $518 Million in 2015 alone.    Given Ontario's endpoint meter count of 5,054,739 (2015 OEB data), these losses equated to $102.53 per every rate payer in the Province.  In other words, every rate payer in Ontario 'subsidized' the 2015 distribution losses by each paying on average $102.53 above and beyond their own personal power consumption; just to offset the distribution losses in 2015.   Thus, we can conclude that Ontario's rate payers are subsidizing over $518 Million annually for un-metered losses occurring throughout the Province’s distribution grids.

Currently, LDCs are permitted to experience up to 5.0% losses without being required to exercise reductions.  According to 2015 OEB data, LDCs collectively experienced "ONLY" 3.72% losses --- thus being below the required losses limit of 5.0%.   But, "ONLY" 3.72% losses equated to over one-half a Billion dollars (i.e., over $518 Million) just in one year (i.e., 2015).  This type of loss level, and the seriously negative financial burden upon Ontarians occurs annually due to ongoing losses within the distribution grids, thus making this matter a serious topic requiring direct attention.

Given the Ministry of Energy's vetting of GRID20/20, and the public comment by an Ontario LDC supporting the GRID20/20 intra-grid sensor solution, we propose that the adoption of intra-grid sensors become mandated in Ontario to help remedy a substantial portion of the significant annual losses occurring within Ontario's grids.  The cost-effective technology now exists to address unmetered losses so that rate payers are less burdened by their hydro bills.

Presently, GRID20/20 projects a potential savings of nearly half of the annual distribution losses in Ontario via a full deployment of intra-gird sensors throughout the Province.     The anticipated ROI associated with an intra-grid sensor deployment will be approximately 5 years, depending upon how rapidly and aggressively LDCs deploy such devices.

In essence, based upon the 2015 OEB data, GRID20/20 projects losses reductions/losses prevention of approximately $250 Million - $300 Million per year within the Province's grids, which also equates to nearly 2.5 Billion kWh being reduced annually for Conservation purposes.

As can be more thoroughly explained in person, GRID20/20 can assist the Ontario Ministry of Energy to bend down the rate curve by approximately $56 or more per every rate payer, annually; and, GRID20/20 can substantially assist the Ministry's Conservation First program to shave up to 2.5 Tera Watt Hours annually from within the Province via line losses/waste reduction from within the distribution space.

In addition to the anticipated identification of un-metered line losses within the LDCs distribution grids, and the indicated Tera Watt Hour reductions, the versatile GRID20/20 intra-grid sensor solution will simultaneously help to:

a) reduce power outages,

b) reduce LDC operating expenses,

c) ready the grids for emerging Distributed Energy Resources/Distributed Generation impacts,

d) help to improve AMI data value,

e) assist with Conservation Voltage Reduction,

f) reduce technical losses, and

g) ready the grid for Electric Vehicle impacts.

Because GRID20/20 manufactures its hardware within Ontario, the Province will gain not just in financial and conservation-related distribution grid savings, but also will experience increased jobs, and increased HST revenue to further benefit the Province.

The GRID20/20 Distribution Transformer intra-grid sensor solution will comprehensively drive significant energy efficiency benefits and cost reductions within Ontario, complements of the Ontario Ministry of Energy’s foresight in 2014 to fund a meaningful Smart Grid Fund project designed to create powerful savings in Ontario, and throughout the world.

[Original Comment ID: 204705]