Forging ahead on Smart Meter deployment in Mississauga

Alberta Coal-to-Gas Transition will retire coal units, convert plants to natural gas, boost renewables, and affect electricity prices, with policy tools like a price cap and carbon tax shaping the power market.

Key Points

Shift retiring coal units and converting to natural gas and renewables, targeting coal elimination by 2030.

✅ TransAlta retires Sundance coal unit; more units convert to gas.

✅ Forward prices seen near $40 to low $50/MWh in 2018.

✅ 6.8-cent cap shields consumers; carbon tax backstops costs.

The turn of the calendar to 2018 saw TransAlta retire one of its coal power generating units at its Sundance plant west of Edmonton and mothball another as it begins the transition to cleaner sources of energy across Alberta.

The company will say goodbye to three more units over the next year and a half to prepare them for conversion to natural gas.

This is part of a fundamental shift in Alberta, which will see coal power retired ahead of schedule by 2030, replaced by a mix of natural gas and renewable sources.

“We’re going to see that transition continue right up from now until 2030, and likely beyond 2030 as wind generation starts to outpace coal and new technologies become available.”

Coal has long been the backbone of Alberta’s grid, currently providing nearly 40 per cent of the provinces power. Analysts believe removing it will come with a cost to consumers, according to a report on coal phase-out costs published recently.

“The open question over the next couple of years is whether they’re going to inch up gradually, or whether they’re going to inch up like they did in 2012 and 2013, by having periods of very high power prices.”

Albertans are currently paying historically low power prices, with generation costs last year averaging below $23/MWh, less than half of the average of the past 10 years.

A report released in mid-December by electricity consultant firm EDC Associates showed forward prices moving from the $40/MWh in the first three months of 2018, to the low $50/MWh range.

“The forwards tend to take several weeks to fully react to announcements, so its anticipated that prices will continue to gradually track upwards over the coming weeks,” the report reads.

The NDP government has taken steps to protect consumers against price surges. Last spring, a price cap of 6.8 cents/MWh was put in place until the spring of 2021, with any cost above that to be covered by carbon tax revenue.

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ATCO Electric administrative penalty underscores an Alberta Utilities Commission probe into a sole-sourced First Nation contract, Jasper transmission line overpayments, and nondisclosure to ratepayers, sparked by a whistleblower and pending settlement approval.

Key Points

A $31M AUC settlement over alleged overpayment, sole-sourcing, and nondisclosure tied to a Jasper transmission line.

✅ $31M administrative penalty; AUC settlement pending approval

✅ Sole-sourced First Nation contract to protect related ATCO deal

✅ Overpayment concealed when seeking recovery from ratepayers

Regulated Alberta utility ATCO Electric has agreed to pay a $31 million administrative penalty after an Alberta Utilities Commission utilities watchdog investigation found it deliberately overpaid a First Nation group for work on a new transmission line, and then failed to disclose the reasons for it when it applied to be reimbursed by ratepayers for the extra cost.

An agreed statement of facts contained in a settlement agreement between ATCO Electric Ltd. and the commission's enforcement staff says the company sole-sourced a contract in 2018 for work that was necessary for an electric transmission line to Jasper, Alta., even as BC Hydro marked a Site C transmission line milestone elsewhere.

The company that won the contract was co-owned by the Simpcw First Nation in Barriere, B.C., while debates over a First Nations electricity line in Ontario underscore related issues, and the agreement says one of the reasons for the sole-sourcing was that another of Calgary-based ATCO's subsidiaries had a prior deal with the First Nation for infrastructure projects that included the provision of work camps on the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion project.

The statement of facts says ATCO Electric feared that if it didn't grant the contract to the First Nation group and instead put the work to tender, amid legal pressures such as a treaty rights challenge, the group might back out of its deal with ATCO Structures and Logistics and partner with another, non-ATCO company on the Trans Mountain work.

The agreed statement says ATCO Electric paid several million dollars more than market value for some of the Jasper line work, while a Manitoba-Minnesota line delay was being weighed in another jurisdiction, and staff attempted to conceal the reasons for the overpayment when they sought to recover the extra money from Alberta consumers.

It states the investigation was sparked by a whistleblower, and notes the agreement between the utility commission's enforcement staff and ATCO Electric must still be approved by the Alberta Utilities Commission, a process comparable to hearings that consider oral traditional evidence on interprovincial lines.

The commission must be satisfied the settlement is in the public interest, a consideration often informed by concerns from Site C opponents in other regions.

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UK Net Zero Policy Delay shifts EV sales ban to 2035, eases boiler phase-outs, keeps ZEV mandate, backs North Sea oil and gas, accelerates onshore wind and grid upgrades while targeting 2050 emissions goals.

Key Points

Delay moves EV and heating targets to 2035, tweaks mandates, and shifts energy policy, keeping the 2050 net zero goal.

✅ EV sales ban shifts to 2035; ZEV mandate trajectory unchanged

✅ Heat pump grants rise to £7,500; boiler phase-out eased

✅ North Sea oil, onshore wind, grid and nuclear plans advance

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said he would delay targets for changing cars and domestic heating to maintain the consent of the British people in the switch to net zero as part of the global energy transition under way.

Sunak said Britain was still committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2050, similar to Canada's race to net zero goals, and denied watering down its climate targets.

Here are some of the current emissions targets for Britain's top polluting sectors and how the announcement impacts them.

TRANSPORTATION
Transport accounts for more than a third (34%) of Britain's total carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, the most of any sector.

Sunak announced a delay to introducing a ban on new petrol and diesel cars and vans. It will now come into force in 2035 rather than in 2030.

There were more than 1.1 million electric cars in use on UK roads as of April - up by more than half from the previous year to account for roughly one in every 32 cars, according to the country's auto industry trade body.

The current 2030 target was introduced in November 2020 as a central part of then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson's plans for a "green revolution". As recently as Monday, transport minister Mark Harper restated government support for the policy.

Britain’s independent climate advisers, the Climate Change Committee, estimated a 2030 phase out of petrol, diesel and hybrid vehicles could save up to 110 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions compared with a 2035 phase out.

ohnson's policy already allowed for the continued sale of hybrid cars and vans that can drive long stretches without emitting carbon until 2035.

The transition is governed by a zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate, a shift echoed by New Zealand's electricity transition debates, which means manufacturers must ensure an increasing proportion of the vehicles they sell in the UK are electric.

The current proposal is for 22% of a car manufacturer's sales to be electric in 2024, rising incrementally each year to 100% in 2035.

The government said on Wednesday that all sales of new cars from 2035 would still be zero emission.

Sunak said that proposals that would govern how many passengers people should have in a car, or proposals for new taxes to discourage flying, would be scrapped.

RESIDENTIAL
Residential emissions, the bulk of which come from heating, make up around 17% of the country's CO2 emissions.

The government has a target to reduce Britain's energy consumption from buildings and industry by 15% by 2030, and had set a target to phase out installing new and replacement gas boilers from 2035, as the UK moves towards heat pumps, amid an IEA report on Canada's power needs noting more electricity will be required.

Sunak said people would have more time to transition, and the government said that off-gas-grid homes could continue to install oil and liquefied petroleum gas boilers until 2035, rather than being phased out from 2026.

However, his announcements that the government would not force anyone to rip out an existing boiler and that people would only have to make the switch when replacing one from 2035 restated existing policy.

He also said there would be an exemption so some households would never have to switch, but the government would increase an upgrade scheme that gives people cash to replace their boilers by 50% to 7,500 pounds ($9,296.25).

Currently almost 80% of British homes are heated by gas boilers. In 2022, 72,000 heat pumps were installed. The government had set a target of 600,000 heat pump installations per year by 2028.

A study for Scottish Power and WWF UK in June found that 6 million homes would need to be better insulated by 2030 to meet the government's target to reduce household energy consumption, but current policies are only expected to deliver 1.1 million.

The study, conducted by Frontier Economics, added that 1.5 million new homes would still need heat pumps installed by 2030.

Sunak said that the government would subsidise people who wanted to make their homes energy efficient but never force a household to do it.

The government also said it was scrapping policies that would force landlords to upgrade the energy efficiency of their properties.

ENERGY
The energy sector itself is a big emitter of greenhouse gases, contributing around a quarter of Britain's emissions, though the UK carbon tax on coal has driven substantial cuts in coal-fired electricity in recent years.

In July, Britain committed to granting hundreds of licences for North Sea oil and gas extraction as part of efforts to become more energy independent.

Sunak said he would not ban new oil and gas in the North Sea, and that future carbon budgets for governments would have to be considered alongside the plans to meet them.

He said the government would shortly bring forward new plans for energy infrastructure to improve Britain's grid, including the UK energy plan, while speeding up planning.

Offshore wind power developers warned earlier this month that Britain's climate goals could be at risk, even as efforts like cleaning up Canada's electricity highlight the importance of power-sector decarbonization, after a subsidy auction for new renewable energy projects did not attract any investment in those planned off British coasts.

Britain is aiming to develop 50 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind capacity by 2030, up from around 14 GW now.

Sunak highlighted that Britain is lifting a ban on onshore wind, investing in carbon capture and building new nuclear power stations.

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Smart Street Lighting NY delivers Syracuse-wide LED retrofits with smart controls, Wi-Fi, and sensors, saving $3.3 million annually and cutting nearly 8,500 tons of greenhouse gases, improving energy efficiency, safety, and maintenance.

Key Points

A NYPA-backed program replacing streetlights with LED and controls to cut costs and emissions across New York by 2025.

✅ Syracuse replaced 17,500 fixtures with LED and smart controls.

✅ Saves $3.3M yearly; cuts 8,500 tons CO2e; improves safety.

✅ NYPA financing and maintenance support enable Smart City sensors.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the completed installation of energy-efficient LED streetlights throughout the City of Syracuse as part of the Governor's Smart Street Lighting NY program. Syracuse, through a partnership with the New York Power Authority, replaced all of its streetlights with the most comprehensive set of innovative Smart City technologies in the state, saving the city $3.3 million annually and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 8,500 tons a year--the equivalent of taking more than 1,660 cars off the road. New York has now replaced more than 100,000 of its streetlights with LED fixtures, reflecting broader state renewable ambitions across the country, a significant milestone in the Governor's goal to replace at least 500,000 streetlights with LED technology by 2025 under Smart Street Lighting NY.

Today's announcement directly supports the goals of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, the most aggressive climate change law in the nation, through the increased use of energy efficiency, exemplified by Seattle City Light's program that helps customers reduce bills, to annually reduce electricity demand by three percent--equivalent to 1.8 million New York households--by 2025.

"As we move further into the 21st century, it's critical we make the investments necessary for building smarter, more sustainable communities and that's exactly what we are doing in Syracuse," Governor Cuomo said. "Not only is the Smart Street Lighting NY program reducing the city's carbon footprint, but millions of taxpayer dollars will be saved thanks to a reduction in utility costs. Climate change is not going away and it is these types of smart, forward-thinking programs which will help communities build towards the future."

The more than $16 million cutting-edge initiative, implemented by NYPA, includes the replacement of approximately 17,500 streetlights throughout the city with SMART, LED fixtures, improving lighting quality and neighborhood safety while saving energy and maintenance costs. The city's streetlights are now outfitted with SMART controls that provide programmed dimming ability, energy metering, fault monitoring, and additional tools for emergency services through on-demand lighting levels.

"The completion of the replacement of LED streetlights in Syracuse is part of our overall efforts to upgrade more than 100,000 streetlights across the state," Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul said. "The new lights will save the city $3.3 million annually, helping to reduce cost for energy and maintenance and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. These new light fixtures will also help to improve safety and provide additional tools for emergency services. The conversion of streetlights statewide to high-tech LED fixtures will help local governments and taxpayers save money, while increasing efficiency and safety as we work to build back better and stronger for the future."

NYPA provided Syracuse with a $500,000 Smart Cities grant for the project. The city utilized the additional funding to support special features on the streetlights that demonstrate the latest in Smart City technologies, focused on digital connectivity, environmental monitoring and public safety. These features are expected to be fully implemented in early 2021.

Connectivity: The city is planning to deploy exterior Wi-Fi at community centers and public spaces, including in neighborhoods in need of expanded digital network services.

Environmental Monitoring: Ice and snow detection systems that assist city officials in pinpointing streets covered in ice or snow and require attention to prevent accidents and improve safety. The sensors provide data that can tell the city where salt trucks and plows are most needed instead of directing trucks to drive pre-determined routes. Flood reporting and monitoring systems will also be installed.

Public Safety and Property Protection: Illegal dumping and vandalism detection sensors will be installed at strategic locations to help mitigate these disturbances. Vacant house monitoring will also be deployed by the city. The system can monitor for potential fires, detect motion and provide temperature and humidity readings of vacant homes. Trash bin sensors will be installed at various locations throughout the city that will detect when a trash bin is full and alert local officials for pick-up.

NYPA President and CEO Gil C. Quiniones said, "Syracuse is truly a pioneer in its exploration of using SMART technologies to improve public services and the Power Authority was thrilled to partner with the city on this innovative initiative. Helping our customers bring their streetlights into the future further advances NYPA's reputation as a first-mover in the energy-sector."

New York State Public Service Commission Chair John B. Rhodes said, "Governor Cuomo signed legislation making it easier for municipalities to purchase and upgrade their street lighting systems. With smart projects like these, cities such as Syracuse can install state-of-the-art, energy efficient lights and take control over their energy use, lower costs to taxpayers and protect the environment."

Mayor Ben Walsh said, "Governor Cuomo and the New York Power Authority have helped power Syracuse to the front of the pack of cities in the U.S., leveraging SMART LED lighting to save money and make life better for our residents. Because of our progress, even in the midst of a global pandemic, the Syracuse Surge, our strategy for inclusive growth in the New Economy, continues to move forward. Syracuse and all of New York State are well positioned to lead the nation and the world because of NYPA's support and the Governor's leadership."

To date, NYPA has installed more than 50,000 LED streetlights statewide, with more than 115,000 lighting replacements currently implemented. Some of the cities and towns that have already converted to LED lights, in collaboration with NYPA, include Albany, Rochester, and White Plains. In addition, the Public Service Commission, whose ongoing retail energy markets review informs consumer protections, in conjunction with investor-owned utilities around the state, has facilitated the installation of more than 50,000 additional LED lights.

The NYPA Board of Trustees, in support of the Smart Street Lighting NY program, authorized at its September meeting the expenditure of $150 million over the next five years to secure the services of Candela Systems in Hawthorne, D&M Contracting in Elmsford and E-J Electric T&D in Wallingford, Connecticut, while in other regions, city officials take a clean energy message to Georgia Power and the PSC to spur utility action. All three firms will work on behalf of NYPA to continue to implement LED lighting replacements throughout New York State to meet the Governor's goal of 500,000 LED streetlights installed by 2025.

Smart Street Lighting NY: Energy Efficient and Economically Advantageous

NYPA is working with cities, towns, villages and counties throughout New York to fully manage and implement a customer's transition to LED streetlight technology. NYPA provides upfront financing for the project, and during emergencies, New York's utility disconnection moratorium helps protect customers while payments to NYPA are made in the years following from the cost-savings created by the reduced energy use of the LED streetlights, which are 50 to 65 percent more efficient than alternative street lighting options.

Through this statewide street lighting program, NYPA's government customers are provided a wide-array of lighting options to help meet their individual needs, including specifications on the lights to incorporate SMART technology, which can be used for dozens of other functions, such as cameras and other safety features, weather sensors, Wi-Fi and energy meters.

To further advance the Governor's effort to replace existing New York street lighting, in 2019, NYPA launched a new maintenance service to provide routine and on-call maintenance services for LED street lighting fixtures installed by NYPA throughout the state, and during the COVID-19 response, New York and New Jersey suspended utility shut-offs to protect customers and maintain essential services. The new service is available to municipalities that have engaged NYPA to implement a LED street lighting conversion and have elected to install an asset management controls system on their street lighting system, reducing the number of failures and repairs needed after installation is complete.

To learn more about the Smart Street Lighting NY program, visit the program webpage on NYPA's website.

New York State's Nation-Leading Climate Plan

Governor Cuomo's nation-leading climate plan is the most aggressive climate and clean energy initiative in the nation, calling for an orderly and just transition to clean energy that creates jobs and continues fostering a green economy as New York State builds back better as it recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. Enshrined into law through the CLCPA, New York is on a path to reach its mandated goals of economy wide carbon neutrality and achieving a zero-carbon emissions electricity sector by 2040, similar to Ontario's clean electricity regulations that advance decarbonization, faster than any other state. It builds on New York's unprecedented ramp-up of clean energy including a $3.9 billion investment in 67 large-scale renewable projects across the state, the creation of more than 150,000 jobs in New York's clean energy sector, a commitment to develop over 9,000 megawatts of offshore wind by 2035, and 1,800 percent growth in the distributed solar sector since 2011. New York's Climate Action Council is working on a scoping plan to build on this progress and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 85 percent from 1990 levels by 2050, while ensuring that at least 40 percent of the benefits of clean energy investments benefit disadvantaged communities, and advancing progress towards the state's 2025 energy efficiency target of reducing on-site energy consumption by 185 TBtus.

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Australia Electricity Supply Shortfall highlights AEMO's warning of reduced reserves as coal retirements outpace capacity, risking load shedding. Calls for 1GW strategic reserves and investment in renewables, storage, and dispatchable power in Victoria.

Key Points

It is AEMO's forecast of reduced reserves, higher outage risk, and a need for 1GW strategic backup capacity.

✅ Coal retirements outpacing firm, dispatchable capacity

✅ AEMO urges 1GW strategic reserves in Victoria and South Australia

✅ Investment needed: renewables, storage, grid and reliability services

Australia’s electricity operator has warned of threats to electricity supply including a shortfall in generation and reduced power reserves on the horizon.

The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) has called for further investment in the country’s energy portfolio as retiring coal plants are replaced by intermittent renewables poised to eclipse coal, leaving the grid with less back-up capacity.

AEMO has said this increases the chances of supply interruption and load shedding.

It added the federal government should target 1GW of strategic reserves in the states most at risk – Victoria and South Australia, even as the Prime Minister has ruled out taxpayer-funded power plants in the current energy battle.

CEO of the Clean Energy Council, Kane Thornton, said the shortfall in generation, reflected in a short supply of electricity, was due a decade of indecisiveness and debate leading to a “policy vacuum”.

He added: “The AEMO report revealed that the new projects added to the system under the renewable energy target will help to improve reliability over the next few years.

“We need to accept that the energy system is in transition, with lessons from dispatchable power shortages in Europe, and long term policy is now essential to ensure private investment in the most efficient new energy technology and solutions.”

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Toronto Grid Upgrade expands electricity capacity and reliability with new substations, upgraded transmission lines, and integrated renewable energy, supporting EV growth, sustainability goals, and resilient power for Toronto's growing residential and commercial sectors.

Key Points

A joint plan to boost grid capacity, add renewables, and improve reliability for Toronto's rising power demand.

✅ New substations and upgraded transmission lines increase capacity

✅ Integrates solar, wind, and storage for cleaner, reliable power

✅ Supports EV adoption, reduces outages, and future-proofs the grid

As Toronto's population and economy continue to expand, the surge in electricity demand in the city is also increasing rapidly. In response, the Ontario government, in partnership with the City of Toronto and various stakeholders, has launched an initiative to enhance the electricity infrastructure to meet future needs.

The Ontario Ministry of Energy and the City of Toronto are focusing on a multi-faceted approach that includes upgrades to existing power systems and the integration of renewable energy sources, as well as updated IoT cybersecurity standards for sector devices. This initiative is critical as Toronto looks towards a sustainable future, with projections indicating significant growth in both residential and commercial sectors.

Energy Minister Todd Smith highlighted the urgency of this project, stating, “With Toronto's growing population and dynamic economy, the need for reliable electricity cannot be overstated. We are committed to ensuring that our power systems are not only capable of meeting today's demands but are also future-proofed against the needs of tomorrow.”

The plan involves substantial investments in grid infrastructure to increase capacity and improve reliability. This includes the construction of new substations and the enhancement of old ones, along with the upgrading of transmission lines and exploration of macrogrids to strengthen reliability. These improvements are designed to reduce the frequency and severity of power outages while accommodating new developments and technologies such as electric vehicles, which are expected to place additional demands on the system.

Additionally, the Ontario government is exploring the potential for renewable energy sources, such as rooftop solar grids and wind, to be integrated into the city’s power grid. This shift towards green energy is part of a broader effort to reduce carbon emissions and promote environmental sustainability.

Toronto Mayor John Tory emphasized the collaborative nature of this initiative, stating, “This is a prime example of how collaboration between different levels of government and the private sector can lead to innovative solutions that benefit everyone. By enhancing our electricity infrastructure, we are not only improving the quality of life for our residents but also supporting Toronto's competitive edge as a global city.”

The project also includes a public engagement component, where citizens are encouraged to provide input on the planning and implementation phases. This participatory approach ensures that the solutions developed are in alignment with the needs and expectations of Toronto's diverse communities.

Experts agree that the timing of these upgrades is critical. As urban populations grow, the strain on infrastructure, especially in a powerhouse like Toronto, can lead to significant challenges. Proactive measures, such as those being implemented by Ontario and Toronto, and mirrored by British Columbia's clean energy shift underway on the west coast, are essential in avoiding potential crises and ensuring economic stability.

The success of this initiative could serve as a model for other cities facing similar challenges, highlighting the importance of forward-thinking and cooperation in urban planning and energy management. As Toronto moves forward with these ambitious plans, the eyes of the world, particularly other urban centers, will be watching and learning how to similarly tackle the dual challenges of growth and sustainability, with recent examples like London's newest electricity tunnel demonstrating large-scale grid upgrades.

This strategic approach to managing Toronto's electricity needs reflects a comprehensive understanding of the complexities involved in urban energy systems and a commitment to ensuring a resilient and sustainable future that aligns with Canada's net-zero grid by 2050 goals at the national level for all residents.

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