Toronto Hydro Rolls out Community Energy Storage Program
This year, Toronto Hydro is starting to experiment with community energy storage in certain areas around the city, which could mean improved power quality, consistency during times when the power grid is under stress, and success in integrating renewable energy resources.
One of Toronto’s unique energy problems, as a city, is the constant fluctuation of energy usage. Many factors contribute to these fluctuations like residents coping with extreme temperatures and the sheer size of our population.
Community energy storage uses large hydro boxes, housing 48 modules with over 17,000 Lithium Ion batteries, to store energy to be used during these times when the power grid is under strain. The batteries are similar to the ones in cell phones, with each storage location able to power a small residential street for an hour.
This means that the batteries can pick up the slack if we have a hot day and everyone turns on their air conditioner or if it’s nighttime and solar panels weren’t able to collect enough power.
Toronto Hydro released a video about these new community energy storage locations, detailing their plans for the future. Watch the video and let us know what you think!