What’s in Store for Energy Storage?

11/09/20 • 17 min

Does energy storage hold great potential for a Canada in which wind and solar power could dominate new power plant additions and gradually overtake other sources of electricity? How can energy storage make up for the current limitations of renewables? Find out if energy storage, particularly electricity storage, is the missing piece in the renewables jigsaw as Justin Rangooni, Executive director of Energy Storage Canada, shares his perspective.

Related Content & Links:

https://hydroottawa.com/
Websites:
- https://www.energystoragecanada.org
Twitter: @EnergystorageON
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-rangooni-5063b542/

Transcript:

Dan Seguin 00:42

Hey, everyone, welcome back. This is the ThinkEnergy podcast. If you're following energy trends around the world, you've likely heard about energy storage. It's a big topic, and there's a lot to unpack. While there are many types of systems to store energy, I think it's easiest to think of energy storage as the battery that you use to capture energy when it's produced, so you can use it at another time, perhaps when energy isn't available, like during a power outage. With renewable energy continuing to grow in Canada, where does energy storage fit? You have to wonder if energy storage will become the new power plants of the future. One thing is certain energy storage will play an important role in the future supply mix for electricity, most obviously, in creating a more flexible and reliable grid system. For example, when there is more supply than demand, such as during the night when energy costs are lower and power plants continue to operate, the surplus electricity generation can be sent to power energy storage systems, instead of being sold at a loss or going to waste. While wind and solar are great. They can only produce energy at a certain time. This reality has been a barrier for mass integration into modern electricity grids. Since the constant availability of reliable power is paramount to the country and our economy, a complimentary technology like energy storage could help fill the gap for managing today's renewables. Synergies between wind energy, solar energy and energy storage also mean that these technologies can provide a broader range of services to the grid when used in a coordinated manner that reduce overall electricity systems costs, such as building new and expensive generating plants. But at what scale are we at for energy storage today? And where is it headed in the near future? Is there a strategy and evidence that energy storage is a solution we're looking for? In short, where is Canada at on the energy storage journey to adoption? This leads me to today's big question: is energy storage the missing piece in the renewables jigsaw puzzle? And the solution for Canada's energy needs? Joining me today is a very special guest. Justin Rangooni, the executive director at energy storage Canada, who's here to help us unbox the energy storage mystery. Justin, welcome to the ThinkEnergy podcast. Justin, can you tell us a bit about yourself? What energy storage is and what your organization Energy Storage Canada does what it's all about?

Justin Rangooni 04:04

Of course, Daniel, and thanks for having me on the chat. Always glad to chat with you and see our friends at Hydro Ottawa. Again, well, Energy Storage Canada is the National voice for energy storage. We are the only Association dedicated to advancing energy storage in the country. We have over 60 members from across the energy storage value chain from the biggest global companies to the most innovative startups. And we develop policy positions, advocate and educate decision makers and host educational and networking opportunities through webinars and our annual conference. We're basically energy storage 24 / 7, 365 days a year.

Dan Seguin 04:43

Cool. Okay, at a high level, what are we talking about in terms of large scale or grid scale energy storage? What sizes are available? How long can the energy be stored for and is the goal to power cities for days or weeks?

Justin Rangooni 05:02

Not a good question again, what makes energy storage so unique is the varying degrees of sizes, capabilities and technologies. In terms of larger grid scale, you know, we're talking about projects in the hundreds up to 1000 megawatts. But energy storage projects can be in the kilowatts as well, it all depends on the project and where it's located. And depending on the discharge rate of how much energy is injected back into the grid, it could be a couple hours or even more, again, all depends on the technology and the capabilities. And the goal for the sector is really to optimize generation, optimize dis...

Previous Episode

Charging Up for an EV Movement

As electric vehicles (EVs) earn the spotlight as an impactful step towards environmental sustainability, what can municipalities, electric utilities and oil companies do to support a true EV movement in Canada? Jim Pegg, Director of Infrastructure Product and Service at Envari Energy Solutions, shares his expertise on the infrastructure (i.e. charging stations) and services (i.e. electrical supply) that will be necessary to encourage EV adoption while ensuring a smooth transition.

Related Content & Links:

Websites:

Envari - https://www.envari.com/
Hydro Ottawa - https://hydroottawa.com/

Social media:

Twitter: @Envari
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/envari/

Transcript:

Dan Seguin 00:43

Hey, everyone, welcome back. This is the ThinkEnergy podcast. According to the US Department of Energy, electric cars can be traced back to the early 1800s while horses and buggies were still the primary mode of transportation, inventors in Hungary, the Netherlands, and the US were creating some of the first small scale electric cars between 1828 and 1835. By the turn of the century, in early 1900s, electric vehicles accounted for a third of all vehicles on the road in the US. So what happened? Now, another century later, electricity is finally on track to become the fuel of the future that will move both people and goods sustainably and environmentally around the country. And nationwide, EV fast charging network was only introduced in December of 2019 by Petro Canada. It consisted of a network that boasts 51 fast chargers at their stations as far east as Halifax, Nova Scotia, and as far west as Victoria, British Columbia. EV drivers now have access to stations located all along the Trans-Canada highway, making a coast to coast track achievable. Other major players are getting into the game with Canadian tire committing to 300 charging stations spread over 90 locations across Canada. Wow. So no more range anxiety? This is great news because consumers rank not having enough accessible charging stations as a third more serious barrier to an EV purchase, behind price and long range travel. Despite this obstacle, EV sales have continued to rise. But it's clear that to support that growth, we need to roll out charging stations at municipal, provincial and federal levels is the key to bolster rates of EV adoption. More EV charging infrastructure in urban and rural areas? Will better infrastructure increased consumer confidence in electrical vehicles. From a local perspective, what are Canadian municipalities doing to advance their local infrastructure to successfully accommodate EV charging networks? Here's today's big question. Are electric utilities and oil company’s two industries in unique positions to help build a true EV movement in Canada? The former controls electricity distribution networks in the province and municipalities while the latter already operates strategically located fuel stations for internal combustion vehicles. Joining me today is a very special guest, Jim Pegg, Director of infrastructure products and services at Envari energy solutions, who is here to answer these big and small EV questions for us. Jim, can you tell us a bit about Envari and your role specifically, as it relates to electric vehicles and EV infrastructure and charging stations? Second, as an energy management company, can you expand on your strategic position to catalyze this shift to electric mobility?

Jim Pegg 04:25

Essentially, Envari is a diversified energy solutions company. We're a team of engineers’ project managers that problem solve and help businesses and governments implement innovative electrical, mechanical lighting-related projects. As a competitive affiliate of Hydro Ottawa, we're trusted experts in energy efficiency, sustainability, as well as asset management. Our clients’ needs take center stage for us, and we're committed we're very committed to our customer success. Our goal is to help them save energy, you know, reduce emissions and identify areas of poor performance as a good example. Before they have a chance to erode essentially, their bottom line, we're trying to help them avoid those situations. We deliver energy projects from start to finish. So we're concept to commissioning type organization. We provide expert advice, we leverage our buying power, complementing and supplementing our projects team. In terms of their ability to deliver outstanding results and performance results, I'd say we're recognized in the industry for always protecting our customers’ best interests, and adhering to the highest standards of quality and reliability. And obviously, very importantly, safety.

Dan Seguin 05:43

Thanks. Studies show that public charging will be even more important in the near future, particularly in the next decad...

Next Episode

Women energizing the renewable energy sector

Diversity and inclusion are key drivers of innovation and success in the workplace. So, in such an innovative field like renewable energy, how can the industry attract talent? Joanna Osawe, President & CEO of Women in Renewable Energy (WIRE) shares the mission behind her organization as well as what WIRE is doing to support women seeking education and employment in the renewable energy sector.

Related Content & Links: www.womeninrenewableenergy.ca WiRE Report: Navigating COVID19 & The Future of Energy: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/524b6ff3e4b030f838029610/t/5f733e81a472ac56517dc033/1601388165792/FutureofEnergy_Report_WiRE.pdf
Follow WiRE on www.Twitter/WiRE_Canada www.linkedin.com/company/women-in-renewable-energy-wire www.instagram.com/wire_canada/ https://www.facebook.com/WomenInRE

Transcript:

Dan Seguin 00:02

Hey, everyone, welcome back. This is the ThinkEnergy podcast. RESPECT, nine to five, I will survive. Besides being some of my fave tunes, there's a reason why I'm mentioning these female empowerment songs today. Why are people always surprised to find out that I'm a Gloria Gaynor and Aretha Franklin fan? the renewable energy sector is growing. And the jobs are, to say the least exciting and interesting from wind turbine and solar technicians to a wide cross section of other technical and professional engineers and geotechnical careers. Canada's renewable energy industry is accelerating. And there's a lot of quality careers emerging, particularly in STEM. That's the field of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. According to the Canadian Renewable Energy Association, there are currently more than 300,000 people employed in Canada's clean energy sector. And it's continuing to grow by 5% a year. So if projections are correct, there will be more than half a million Canadians employed in the clean energy sector by 2031 side that isn't moving as fast, however, is the number of women filling these key roles. Right now. The renewable energy industry employs about 32% of women, but most are in administrative positions. We know that the energy sector remains one of the least gender diverse industries, with women making up only 22% of the workers overall. We also know that gender diverse workplaces thrive, and are more innovative and financially successful. So in such an innovative field, like renewable energy, how can the industry attract talent? Well, some barriers that women faced as identified by electricity, Human Resources Canada include discrimination, a lack of mentorship, and a non inclusive workplace culture. In order to power the future, and the country's renewable energy projects, these systemic barriers need to be addressed. And it can't come fast enough. With half of the experienced engineering workforce retiring in the next decade, there's a skill shortage on the horizon, but also a huge opportunity for change. The goal of renewable energy essentially, is to make the future better for everyone. Isn't that what the industry should stand for today as well? So here is today's big question, what is being done to boost women's renewable energy careers, from education to employment, in order to allow their talent to be fully realized? to shed some light on this, joining us today is Joanna Osawe, the President and CEO of women in renewable energy or wire. Welcome, Joanna. Are you ready to get started? Maybe you could begin by telling our listeners a bit about you and what drew you to the renewable energy sector.

Joanna Osawe 04:22

So I started in the renewable sector, thanks to my mom and dad. My mom was a microbiologist and my father and mechanical engineer and through my childhood, they always promoted and really made sure that I was aware of STEM. And really what that meant. When I first started in the industry, as a matter of fact, I applied for a job that was a pharmaceutical job. And the recruiter actually, that met with me actually told me that I was there for a renewable position. And as a matter of fact, Daniel for two years prior to that I was looking to get into the sector. And this was really, you know, a huge eye opener for me. And that's when I began my career was with Gail force energy. And then it was bought out by AirTriCity and then bought out by Eon, which is the biggest private utility in the world based out of Dusseldorf, by then I had moved to Chicago. And, and, you know, really my career started when the renewable sector was very young and fresh back in the 1990s, you know, the generating coal plants are really the activity of the day, then we moved on into the year 2000s. And we saw that renewable sector, you know, started to really make an impact. Infrastructure, of course ...