Renewable Energy Systems Canada Inc. (RES), a provider of wind, solar, transmission and energy storage projects solutions in Canada and the United States, announced being selected to participate in an IESO Demand Response (DR) Pilot Program and use its smart-grid technology to shape the electricity consumption profile of commercial energy users.
RES' solution delivers the ability to shape power demand for its clients across Ontario, in response to the IESO's requirements. By shaping consumption and shifting demand away from peak times, RES will deliver a valuable service to the IESO, as well as an opportunity for Ontario's commercial electricity customers to realize value from their electrical equipment in a safe, non-intrusive manner, with no impact on their day-to-day operations.
RES is currently in discussions with a number of prospective customers, focused on those with high electricity demands in the retail, commercial and industrial spaces.
"We believe that large scale deployment of these technologies will redefine the demand response landscape as it stands today," said Peter Clibbon, Vice President at Renewable Energy Systems Canada Inc.
"This pilot marks an important milestone in our ongoing efforts to stimulate greater demand-side engagement in Ontario's energy markets," said Bruce Campbell, President and CEO of Ontario's Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO). "Electricity consumers can make important contributions to reliability, and by working with a range of DR providers, we hope to get a better understanding of the capabilities of DR to provide service that is now only provided by generators and other suppliers."
The IESO issued a request for proposal in April of 2015 to provide the IESO with a better understanding of DR resources' ability to provide services that are currently provided by generators and other suppliers. The structure of the pilot will enable the IESO to integrate a diverse portfolio of pilot projects with varying characteristics, including scheduling type (hourly or five-minute), commitment type (unit commitment or no unit commitment) and curtailment plan type (behind-the-meter generation or load reduction).