INTEGRATING RENEWABLES

As Ontario’s electricity system becomes greener, it also is becoming more diverse, with smaller-scale generation being built within lower-voltage distribution networks.  Through the micro-FiT program, homeowners, farmers, community groups and businesses are installing solar panels and other forms of renewable generation into local systems.  There are also larger-scale renewable projects – such as the world’s largest solar farm located near Sarnia Ontario – being integrated into distribution systems around the province.

These systems were generally built to accommodate the flow of power one way from the transmission grid to consumers, with limited monitoring capabilities.  With two-way power flows, the demands on local utilities to be able to better observe and control activity along their lines increases substantially.  Utilities will look to enhance their control room capabilities to balance demand and supply on a local basis.

In the longer term “microgrids” could develop which allow large institutions, neighbourhoods or remote communities to operate self-sufficiently, isolated from the broader power system. In the case of a power outage, a local neighbourhood could be isolated from the rest of the system and share power amongst itself from their in-home generators and EV batteries.
 

Smart Grids and Renewables Facts:

• By spring of 2011, there were 25,000 microFiT projects in development, representing more than 200 MW of supply, all located within distribution networks. Program updates can be found here.
• There are also 2100 MW of embedded generation expected to be built with distribution networks by the end of 2012.
• The IESO moving to capture more information about distributed generation in order to balance demand on a provincial level. For example, it will offer centralized wind forecasting and require renewable generators with outputs greater than 5MW to provide real-time output information. This information will be shared with local utilities to assist them in managing their networks.  (See IESO Renewable Integration Design Principles )