Toronto, ON – Ontario announced it is investing $9.5 million to increase the efficiency of the province’s electricity system with a key focus on heating and cooling.
The Grid Innovation Fund (GIF) will provide funding and support. Administered by the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO), the Fund will accept applications for projects in May 2024.
“As the electrification of transportation, industry, and heating changes the way Ontario’s electricity system operates, we’re leveraging new technologies to make our grid more efficient,” said Todd Smith, minister of energy. “This new investment of $9.5 million will support the next generation of innovative projects to help lower costs for consumers and support Ontario’s reliable, affordable and clean grid.”
As stated by the GIF, the electrification of heating has begun to accelerate due to the availability of cold-climate heat pumps, hybrid heating systems and thermal storage technology. Although the electrification of heating can be highly efficient through heat pumps, it can result in a net increase in electricity demand
As a result, funding will support space and water heating and cooling projects that demonstrate how thermal storage and new control technologies can help manage heating and cooling demand on the grid and lower greenhouse gas emissions.
Projects in this sector will have three subcategories:
- Small to medium-scale heating and thermal storage: Demonstrate innovative management and control solutions that integrate heat pumps and thermal storage or manage existing space/water heating systems to manage their demand better and reduce GHG emissions.
- Large-scale heating and thermal storage: Implement novel large-scale heat pump systems with thermal storage to support space or process heating needs of large customers.
- Aggregation of Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning loads: Explore new automated approaches to aggregate and manage non-residential HVAC controllable loads to support the distribution network and bulk electricity system.
The goal of these projects is to better understand how to optimize space and water heating electrification through controls, hybridization, and thermal storage. A secondary objective is to explore new approaches for aggregating non-residential HVAC to support the grid.
Since 2005, the GIF has funded over 260 projects. One of these projects included the 2018 “Pumping Energy Savings Recommendations Report” by the Atmospheric Fund.