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Windsor to connect water systems to Ontario’s smart grid

The City of Windsor will be one of Ontario’s first municipal participants to connect its water and wastewater facilities to Ontario’s next generation of smart grid services in a pilot project being managed by Sempa Power.

The city has agreed to connect its municipal water resources to Sempa’s Ancillary Services Network (ASN), which will enable Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) to introduce greater flexibility and efficiency across the province’s grid, according to Sempa. The company added that the City of Windsor will benefit financially by utilizing the inherent capacity available in those resources to provide IESO with ancillary services.

The Ontario government is pursuing the implementation of smart grid technology to drive conservation and improve the efficiency of the broader electricity system. In line with this initiative, IESO has embarked on a pilot program to identify alternative technologies to enhance system reliability. Sempa Power has been selected by IESO to work with Ontario’s industrial loads and qualify new options for demand side management. Water utilities represent one of the biggest loads in the province, and Sempa says it has a keen focus on bringing municipal and regional partners to the program.

“It’s exciting to see locally developed smart grid technology being used to deliver greater energy efficiency in our region,” said John Stuart, COO of the Windsor Utilities Commission. “As the Windsor Utilities Commission continues to explore the modernization of our energy infrastructure, we recognize that this kind of innovation is essential in Ontario and in energy markets around the world.”

The goal of the pilot program is to qualify and enable new candidates to participate in and financially benefit from IESO’s Electricity System Regulation Market. Successful candidates (Resource Partners), incur no cost to participate and will be financially rewarded by Sempa Power for participation.

Ideal Resource Partners have large electric equipment that operates with a consistent workload and a degree of process flexibility or functional range. Examples include pumps, blowers, chillers, cold storage, boilers, battery stations and generators.

“Our city’s water and wastewater resources represent a significant load on the electricity system,” said Windsor Mayor Eddie Francis. “By participating in the smart grid we will generate greater value to our ratepayers. We will reduce our operational costs and increase the reliability of our electricity supply.”

Further information can be found at www.sempapower.com/eoi/ieso.

August 17, 2010  By  John Gilson