OEB proposes cost revisions to renewable grid connections
The proposed amendments would, if enacted, reduce the costs renewable generators would have to pay to connect their generation to a distribution system by:
- Making distributors responsible for the costs of "renewable enabling improvements" - investments made by a distributor to enhance the technical ability of a distribution system to accommodate increased levels of renewable generation.
- Sharing the cost of any expansions of the distribution system between the distributor and generator, so that only those generators requiring expansions which are costly relative to their size bear some of the costs.
The amendments also clarify that generators would continue to be responsible for the cost of dedicated connection facilities to the distributor's main distribution system.
This project is part of a series of initiatives the Board is undertaking to facilitate the timely connection of renewable generation in Ontario.
This integrated approach to investment, planning, and cost allocation will lay the framework for appropriate and reliable electricity infrastructure development consistent with the Board's objectives, including its new objectives under the Green Energy and Green Economy Act, 2009.
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Ontario, Quebec to swap energy in new deal to help with electricity demands
TORONTO - Ontario and Quebec have agreed to swap energy to help each other out when electricity demands peak.
The provinces' electricity operators, the Independent Electricity System Operator and Hydro-Quebec, will trade up to 600 megawatts of energy each year, said Ontario Energy Minister Todd Smith.
“The deal just makes a lot of sense from both sides,” Smith said in an interview.
“The beauty as well is that Quebec and Ontario are amongst the cleanest grids around.”
The majority of Ontario's power comes from nuclear energy while the majority of Quebec's energy comes from hydroelectric power.
The deal works because Ontario and Quebec's energy peaks…
