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If we learned anything about Alberta’s electricity grid recently, it’s that our system desperately needs more energy storage.
Earlier in April, communities in Calgary and Edmonton experienced brief power outages. The cause? A few unexpected trips at several gas plants, a slow ramp-up to respond and a missed wind forecast. That is all it took to show just how fragile our grid is. This is not a new problem, but one we need to fix as soon as possible.
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Energy storage acts like a massive backup battery for our electricity grid, ready to jump into action the moment something goes wrong. Just like having a spare tire in your car, it’s about being prepared for the unexpected. When a power plant unexpectedly shuts down (just like those gas plants did last week in Alberta), or when the wind doesn’t blow enough to spin the turbines, energy storage can instantly supply electricity to fill the gap, preventing those frustrating and potentially costly brownouts.
But it’s not just about preventing inconvenience. For hospitals, data centres and other critical services, a brief loss of power can have serious implications. Energy storage ensures that the electricity keeps flowing smoothly, even when the primary sources falter.
Moreover, as we use more renewable energy such as wind and solar, which depend on the weather and time of day, energy storage becomes even more crucial. It acts like a giant sponge, soaking up excess electricity when the sun is shining or the wind is blowing strong, and then squeezing it back out when the clouds cover the sky or the air is still.
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In short, energy storage is a key player in our future energy system. It ensures that our transition to cleaner energy doesn’t leave us in the dark, making our grid more reliable, more resilient and more able to quickly accommodate unforeseen moments of scarcity.
As Alberta continues its transition toward carbon neutrality, we need to take an all-hands-on-deck approach to managing, utilizing and conserving energy. We have a competitive advantage with plentiful and affordable natural gas providing baseload power. The southern corner of the province has the best wind and solar resource in Canada, generating cheap electricity for hours on end. The open market for power allows for competition and innovation, and consumers get to vote with their dollars and choose which retailer offers the best deal. Yet these strengths will be meaningless if we take an unbalanced approach to planning the grid, and forget to focus on the most fundamental job of any power system — keeping the lights on.
This month’s brownouts are a wake-up call for Alberta. They highlight the urgent need for more energy storage technologies on our grid that can provide the fast, reliable service necessary to prevent such incidents.
It is incumbent upon us — policymakers, industry leaders and consumers alike — to support such innovations that not only secure our electricity grid but also pave the way for a cleaner, more resilient energy system.
Mitchell Miller is the founder and CEO of Atlas Power Technologies. His company was recently awarded a $6.5-million grant from Emissions Reduction Alberta to combine a supercapacitor-based energy storage system with a TransAlta hydroelectric generating facility in Alberta.
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