Energy Storage Canada (ESC)…

Energy Storage Canada (ESC) is the national trade association dedicated to accelerating the deployment of energy storage projects and technologies.

ESC’s response to Environmental Registry of Ontario Proposal 019-9373 on the role of energy storage in future electricity energy efficiency programming to promote beneficial electrification has been submitted, and is summarized in the following points.

1. Energy Storage technologies can both directly and indirectly mitigate the system costs of beneficial electrification.

1.1 Thermal energy storage can provide demand flexibility, and meet on-peak needs with off-peak power. Thermal energy storage appliances and equipment can be operated in response to time varying-rates, or in response to signals from the system operator, utility or an aggregator.

1.2 Electrical energy storage can also be a “non-wires solution” and defer or delay otherwise needed investments in generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure to serve new load from beneficial electrification programs.

2. To mitigate the system costs of beneficial electrification programs (and broader electrification), their implementation should:

2.1 Enable the deployment of thermal energy storage devices, and demand response from individual and aggregated thermal energy storage devices.

2.2 Be supported by an explicit requirement for system planners, including the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) and Local Distribution Companies (LDCs), to integrate electrical energy storage into bulk, regional, and local power system plans and investment decisions.

2.3 Be supported by an extension of the IESO’s mandate to implement regional or local programs,
procurements, or customer support measures to deploy electrical energy storage in areas where new customers or the expansion of existing customers is driving significant electricity system expansions.

2. 4 Similarly, the Ontario Energy Board (OEB) should oversee commitments by LDCs to procure or support electrical energy storage resources—whether customer-owned or stand - to facilitate beneficial electrification.