Golden and Field to pioneer Clean Energy Fund project
GOLDEN/FIELD – Natural Resources Canada has announced that BC Hydro will receive more than $5 million from the Clean Energy Fund to demonstrate state-of-the-art clean energy storage technologies that will improve customer service in Golden and Field.
The two communities were chosen because the Golden substation is close to maximum capacity, and Field, located in Yoho National Park, faces reliability issues due to its remote location.
"This demonstration project will be an opportunity to showcase innovative clean-power solutions in two B.C. communities," said Blair Lekstrom, Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources. "Among the project's benefits are reduced greenhouse gas emissions since the project will reduce peak-energy load as well as replace the need for back-up generation with battery storage."
"One of the challenges facing BC Hydro is the growth in electricity demand in remote areas with limited generation, transmission and distribution capacities," said Bev Van Ruyven, BC Hydro acting president and chief executive officer. "The goal of the project is to gain first-hand knowledge in the use of storage and demand response technologies to manage energy flow and improve system reliability."
The demonstration project will utilize battery bank facilities to store energy in Golden and Field, as well as Smart Grid devices and communications infrastructure to improve response times to power outages. In addition, the project will provide a clean, reliable back-up power supply for Field.
The project will demonstrate the benefits of integrating multiple distributed energy resources into distribution networks. BC Hydro will also gain extensive knowledge that can be applied to the integration of battery storage with other renewable and alternative energy sources.
BC Hydro was one of only 19 of the 178 applications submitted that received federal funding. All the Clean Energy Fund projects had to be model demonstration projects that could be applied anywhere in Canada. BC Hydro will share the knowledge it gains with other utilities to help capacity-constrained and difficult-to-reach communities across the country.
Contact:
Diane Tammen
Community Relations Manager
Phone: 250 489 6862