Ontario plunging into energy storage as electricity supply crunch looms

Source: Allison Jones | · CBC NEWS · | December 26, 2022

Energy storage could change energy industry like ‘refrigeration changed the milk industry,’ says CEO

Source: Ontario Minister of Children, Community and Social Services Todd Smith answers questions during the daily briefing at Queen's Park in Toronto on Tuesday, April 21, 2020. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press)

Ontario is staring down an electricity supply crunch and amid a rush to secure more power, it is plunging into the world of energy storage — a relatively unknown solution for the grid that experts say could also change energy use at home.

Beyond the sprawling nuclear plants and waterfalls that generate most of the province's electricity sit the batteries, the underground caverns storing compressed air to generate electricity, and the spinning flywheels waiting to store energy at times of low demand and inject it back into the system when needed.

The province's energy needs are quickly rising, with the proliferation of electric vehicles and increasing manufacturing demand for electricity on the horizon just as a large nuclear plant that supplies 14 percent of Ontario's electricity is set to be retired and other units are being refurbished.

The government is seeking to extend the life of the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station, planning an import agreement for power with Quebec, rolling out conservation programs, and — controversially — relying on more natural gas to fill the looming gap between demand and supply.