RES selected for Demand Response pilot program in Ontario

Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) to explore improved innovative electricity delivery.

Montreal, Quebec— Renewable Energy Systems Canada Inc. (RES), a leader in the development, engineering, and construction of wind, solar, transmission, and energy storage projects in Canada and the United States, is pleased to announce being selected to participate in an IESO Demand Response (DR) Pilot Program.

RES will use cutting edge ‘smart-grid’ technology to shape the electricity consumption profile of commercial energy users such as supermarkets and retail chains. 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 realise 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. RES is seeking additional participants to take part in this and future DR opportunities in Ontario, encouraging interested participants to contact Douglas McAlpine at Douglas.McAlpine@res-ltd.com or 514-525-2113.

“RES is pleased to be at the forefront of Ontario’s developing smart grid market in being offered demand response contracts under the IESO pilot program. We welcome and fully support the IESO’s strategy of encouraging new and ground-breaking technologies into the electricity market, to establish their value and test their integration. 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).