Unlocking Ontario's Sustainable Energy Future with Long Duration Energy Storage

Source: | · ENERGY STORAGE CANADA · | January 24, 2024

Today Canada's national trade association for energy storage, Energy Storage Canada (ESC), released a foundational report on the benefits of Long Duration Energy Storage (LDES) in Ontario. The report, conducted by Dunsky Advisors, Long Duration Storage Opportunity Assessment: A Critical Component in Growing Ontario's Clean Energy Economy, illustrates the substantial potential of LDES to contribute to the realization of the province's economic growth and energy transition objectives. 

The report identifies a minimum of 6 gigawatts (GW) of +10-hour duration energy storage starting in 2032, projecting it could achieve savings between $11 billion to $20 billion, compared to the Independent Electricity System Operator's (IESO) baseline Pathways to Decarbonization (P2D) scenario released last year.

These findings follow recent developments in the province, including last year's record-setting procurement by the IESO of 880 MW of energy storage capacity and this month's Directive from Minister of Energy, Todd Smith, for the IESO to advance work on the Meaford and Marmora pumped hydro storage projects and to determine the need for additional LDES resources.

"As a testament to the provincial government's initiative on market reform, Ontario is already recognized as a national and global leader in energy storage," states Justin Rangooni, Executive Director of ESC. "The IESO needs to capitalize on that momentum and continue future-proofing our energy system by making a clear commitment to procuring cost-saving Long Duration Energy Storage (LDES) resources. We have the opportunity to establish LDES as a Made-In-Ontario solution and to ensure the province remains at the forefront of global clean tech investment and innovation."

View PDF of full report here.