Responses to points "For…

Responses to points "For Consideration" raised in "Planning Ontario's Energy Future" Discussion Guide:

 

•What are the significant challenges facing utilities and what can the government do to meet them? Challenges include a reduction in the number of rate payers due to some loss of industry and manufacturing in the province, and lower resulting revenues as ratepayers conserve to reduce their energy bills.  The government could increase investments geared towards renewable energy production and consumption, thereby diverting spending on fossil fuels into sustainable electrified transportation.  As more ratepayers come online or increase electrical consumption to power vehicles from transit buses, to trains, to personal road vehicles, electrical energy revenues will rise.  Cap and trade revenues can help to fund incentives for distributed clean energy production (such as solar PV) and storage, energy efficiency such as home energy retrofits, heat pumps, electric vehicles and charging infrastructure.

 

•What are the most important benefits of a modern grid? Increased reliability? Greater information on your energy usage?

 

Greater reliability and resiliency are of the utmost importance.  These can be achieved by investing in distributed energy production and distributed energy storage.  Programs such as Green Button should allow consumers to be more informed about their energy consumption and spending. This should result in more efficient energy utilization particularly if integrated with smart appliances, thermostats, electric vehicle charging stations (such as the Edison Award winning ChargePoint Home - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IDLMFS04Ug or Flo Home -https://flo.ca/at-home/single-family/x5 units), etc.

 

•What are the best uses of microgrids in Ontario?

 

The deployment and implementation of microgrids should be much broader in scope.  Remote communities do represent an ideal scenario for the deployment of microgrids.  The government should avoid spending substantial resources to connect these communities to the electrical distribution grid and consider investing in self contained microgrids including local renewable energy production, energy storage and system management.  This approach might mirror the success of cellular phone deployment over land-lines in remote areas around the globe.

 

In addition, microgrids should be implemented for all types of campuses from residential to university, business, commercial and manufacturing.  This is an area that has tremendous potential for the future of energy in Ontario.  It serves to decentralize, derisk, decarbonizes and improve resiliency of our energy infrastructure.  (see: Used Batteries Get New Life Powering The Grid - https://www.facebook.com/eMileage/posts/1609279462455974)

 

•Are there any barriers preventing the use of microgrids?

 

No insurmountable barriers are apparent.  However, there may be perceived barriers related to historic organizational challenges of the centralized energy production and localized distribution structures.  To modernize our energy infrastructure, these organizational structures may benefit from independent and impartial review.  Customers are more concerned about reliable and affordable energy, than which company is responsible for producing vs delivering it to their homes and businesses.  With microgrids, customers may even participate in their own energy production and storage, negating some of the need for expensive transmission/distribution capacity.  Therefore costs could be lower for all involved.

 

•Would you be willing to participate in a program where your utility could use your home storage device from time to time to operate a more reliable electricity distribution system?

 

Yes.  This would be of particular interest if customers could also financially benefit from participating in a bi-directional energy distribution system.  In addition, electric vehicle owners might also want to participate by integrating vehicle-to-grid (V2G) and vehicle-to-home (V2H) charging systems that allow them to share available stored energy in their vehicle’s batteries during periods of high or peak demand.  When the number of grid-connected EVs grows to millions of units, this will represent a substantial instantly available distributed energy storage reservoir. A fleet of 100 Nissan Leafs represents potentially 3000kWh of connected energy storage.  A fleet comprised of 100 Chevy Bolt EV or Tesla Model S vehicles could more than double that number.  Of course, only a fraction of the battery would be available for use.  Using a projection of 5% of vehicles in the province, assuming an average 50kWh battery capacity of which 5% may be available at any point in time yields an estimate of (8 million vehicle^(statscan) x 5% x 50kWh x 5% = 1,000,000) 1000MWh of potentially available storage.  (see: Canadians Support Government Actions To Spur Clean Energy - https://www.facebook.com/eMileage/posts/1609249422458978)

 

•How can Ontario further support innovative energy storage technologies that leverage our existing natural gas infrastructure assets and take advantage of our clean electricity system?

 

Ontario can take advantage of our clean electricity system by allowing electric vehicle owners to charge their vehicles at no cost during off-peak or surplus power periods.  This would contribute to a growing energy storage reservoir using resources that might otherwise go to waste.  This should also help to balance energy demand, better utilize available energy production capacity and reduce the amount of overall investment required.

 

•Which innovations offer the greatest benefit to your community and the energy system as a whole? Distributed renewable energy production and storage offers tremendous opportunities for our energy system as a whole.  A dynamic, resilient system from energy production to consumption benefits all stakeholders.  Intelligent charging of electric vehicles during periods of low demand would benefit both the grid and customers through better capacity utilization via Demand Response pricing structures which should result in lower rates.

 

•How should the public and private sectors cooperate to encourage innovation in the energy section?

 

By removing any barriers to private sector partners to participate in energy production and removing barriers to LDCs participating in energy storage, and other service offerings behind the meter, such as electric vehicle charging, there should be a much more rapid deployment of these services.

 

Partners such as LDCs and taxi companies, mail and parcel delivery carriers, etc. should cooperate on the deployment of fast charging infrastructure and local energy storage to facilitate electric transport/delivery fleets.

 

-Uber To Launch an All Electric Fleet - https://www.facebook.com/eMileage/posts/1340858862631370?match=I2V2dGF4aSxldnRheGk%3D

 

-Tesla To Deliver It’s Largest Privately Owned Supercharger Station - https://www.facebook.com/eMileage/posts/1522877974429457?match=I2V2dGF4aSxldnRheGk%3D

 

-London Black Cabs Raieses $400M to Develop PHEV Taxi - https://www.facebook.com/eMileage/posts/1147695051947753?match=I2V2dGF4aSxldnRheGk%3D

 

-Electric Taxis Are On Their Way - http://www.fleetcarma.com/electric-taxis-on-their-way/

 

•What actions could the government take to support the adoption of alternative fuels?

 

Ontario could take advantage of the experience of other jurisdictions.  While Ontario wishes to become a leader in the export industry of renewable energy, we appear to be slowing in our innovation rather than accelerating.  We have seen a reduction of investments in solar energy deployment and wind deployments.  We have deployed almost no renewable energy storage on our grid. Perhaps we could learn from the experiences of other countries that have made major investments and bold moves toward increasing the sustainability, in addition to our small trials of various storage techniques.  It is already clear that battery storage will be a major component of future energy systems, yet we have not taken advantage of the falling cost of battery storage, nor offered incentives for ratepayers to do so.

 

Offering electric vehicle incentives are an excellent action to increase adoption of our locally produced electricity as a transportation fuel.  However, we have done very little to make the public aware that these incentives exist.  The province should invest in joint programs with the transportation sector to make use of our own electrical energy before investing in expanding imports of fossil fuels.  For example, Ontario Power Generation and Bruce Power could work with Toronto Hydro and GO Transit to electrify GO buses and trains.  This adds to the ratepayer base and keeps investment in Ontario.  The lower operating costs and health benefits of cleaner air benefit transit riders and all Ontario residents.  Similar programs should be rolled out with HydroOne Brampton/Brampton Transit, PowerStream/York Region Transit, Oakville Hydro/Oakville Transit, etc. across the entire province.  Battery storage at transit depots would also help to stabilize the grid, shave peak demand for charging and reduce operating costs for fleets of cleaner transit vehicles.

 

•Should Ontario set provincial conservation targets for other fuel types such as natural gas, oil and propane?

 

Yes.  However, consumers should also be provided with resources that they need to learn about and acquire alternatives to fossil fuels, such as solar photovoltaics, heat pumps and electric vehicles.

 

•To meet the province’s climate change objectives, how can existing or new conservation and energy efficiency programs be enhanced in the near and longer term?

 

Existing energy efficiency programs such as building energy retrofits can be further enhanced by integrating transportation electrification in the program.  The installation of charging infrastructure should be recognized for homes, multi-residentual buildings and businesses, as should the switch from gasoline to electric vehicles.  In particular, fleet operators should be encouraged to convert their fleets to electric vehicles which increase the rate-payer base, while reducing GHG and local air pollution.

 

•How can we continue to inform and engage energy consumers?

 

Consumers are confused as to why the success of electrical energy conservation has resulted in higher electricity rates.  However, it is clear if there are fewer consumers (less industry) and consumers buy less electricity, along with massive investments in new and refurbished generation and distribution, the cost of our energy infrastructure must be higher per unit of energy produced. The opportunity that has largely been missed by many is to shift from fossil sources to renewable electrical energy.  By replacing gasoline, fuel oil and natural gas consumption with electrical energy, the consumer could dramatically cut energy costs.  This approach deserves much greater attention.  Energy customers should be informed why they are spending more and should be reassured that with more electrical energy consumption, particularly during off-peak periods (when distributed energy storage can be recharged) and with more rate-payers, electricity rates should go down, rather than up.

 

•What role should distributed renewable energy generation play in the ongoing modernization and transformation of Ontario’s electricity system?

 

Distributed renewable energy generation should play the primary role in the ongoing modernization of Ontario’s electricity system.  Renewable distributed energy is already cost effective and costs continue to decline.  However, a critical component of distributed renewable generation is distributed energy storage.  The intermittent nature of solar and wind pairs well with distributed energy storage which is able to capture energy when it may not be immediately consumed and release energy to the grid when it may be in demand.  Energy storage can also help to achieve net zero buildings while increasing resiliency of our electricity system.

 

•What strategies should Ontario pursue to harness the potential of its nuclear sector to meet its future energy needs?

 

Nuclear provides reliable baseload generation.  The percentage of energy production from nuclear is substantial.  Combined with local and distributed energy storage, Ontario’s existing nuclear assets could continue to provide reliable baseload for the foreseeable future.

 

•What are the best tools to support Indigenous community engagement and leadership in Ontario’s energy sector?

 

Ontario could support Indigenous community engagement by incorporating some of the successful programs implemented in other regions.  For example try to replicate the efforts of this Ottawa-born renewable energy developer:  David Isaac: Leader in First Nation solar energy - http://www.davidsuzuki.org/blogs/climate-blog/2016/12/david-isaac-a-leader-in-first-nations-solar-e nergy/)

 

•To meet a higher demand, what mix of new electricity resources would best balance the principles of cost-effectiveness, reliability, clean energy, community engagement, and an emphasis on Conservation First?

 

For example the students in the York Catholic District School Board (http://www.ycdsb.ca/news/archive/042116-solarprojects.html) are learning about renewable energy through engagement in their own energy production.  Energy production from solar photovoltaics mounted on school roofs is dynamically monitored on display monitors throughout the school, by students and faculty.  Programs such as the Centre for Sustainable Energy at Georgian College (http://www.cleanenergydevelopments.com/about-clean-energy/projects/Centre_for_Sustainable_Technolo gies_at_Georgian_College) provide skills graduates will need to work in growing technology fields of solar renewable energy, electric vehicle charging infrastructure, geothermal technology, etc.

 

•What policies will Ontario need to adapt to a transformation in the fuels sector?

 

A significant increase is expected, to the number electric vehicles in the province.  Most of these vehicles will recharge during nighttime hours.  The result should be a reduction in gasoline demand and an increase in electricity demand.  A policy to prioritize the use of Ontario’s off peak generation capacity for transportation should be beneficial to our energy sector and our economy. (Charging Overnight - http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/vehicles/electric/charging-electric-vehicle.shtml)

 

[Original Comment ID: 207179]