Wärtsilä energy storage solution will minimise Canadian college’s Global Adjustment Charge

Wärtsilä Corporation, Trade press release, 24 April  2020 at 2 pm EEST

The technology group Wärtsilä will supply a 2 MW / 5.4 MWh state-of-the-art energy storage system to Ontario, Canada based Alectra Energy Solutions, a subsidiary of Alectra Utilities. The system is to be installed at Georgian College in Ontario and is expected to notably lower the facility’s power costs by using energy storage to reduce electricity consumption when the electricity demand is peaking. This will decrease the College’s Global Adjustment Charge, which is a fee billed to all hydro customers in the province under Ontario’s 2009 Green Energy Act. These charges are typically 60% of the total annual electricity bill. The order with Wärtsilä was booked in December 2019.

The specified Wärtsilä system includes the company’s containerised GridSolv solution with lithium ion batteries, inverters, and all balance of plant equipment. The system is controlled by Wärtsilä’s GEMS proprietary advanced energy management system. GEMS enables the batteries to be charged when the electrical load is less than a pre-determined limit, and to discharge the batteries during peak loads, thereby minimising consumption from the grid. Furthermore, by its ability to respond to energy price arbitrage fluctuations, GEMS can charge the batteries when the price is low and discharge them when the price rises. GEMS is also capable of responding appropriately to higher winter energy demand. 

“Ontario is committed to achieving a sustainable power supply and conforming with this objective by seeking a zero-emissions solution was important to us,” said Angela Lockridge, Georgian College Vice President, Student Success and Corporate Services. “The Wärtsilä energy storage solution will help to significantly reduce the College’s electricity costs while supporting Ontario’s climate change mitigation strategies.”

Wärtsilä’s Risto Paldanius, Director, Business Development, Energy Storage and Optimisation, commented: “The system will be used in Ontario for effective power management. Managed by our advanced GEMS software, it is a highly efficient means for controlling demand charge type costs. By responding to Global Adjustment peak discharge events to cover the load, the system will deliver significant economic and environmental benefits to the customer.”

The Wärtsilä system is scheduled to be delivered, installed and commissioned in autumn 2020 and the delivery will mark further market expansion for Wärtsilä in Canada.

GEMS is the leading energy management software platform globally, enabling use-case applications, optimising more than 70 system portfolios, and integrating renewable thermal generation assets worldwide.

Caption text: Wärtsilä’s GridSolv optimised storage technology integrates with GEMS software to deliver powerful and reliable generation performance.

Read more about Wärtsilä energy storage solutions

For more information, please contact:

Mark Kennedy
Business Development Manager 
Wärtsilä Energy Business
Mob. +1 604 218 1567
mark.kennedy@wartsila.com
 

Mirja-Maija Santala
Manager, Marketing & Communications
Wärtsilä Energy Business
Mob: +358 400 793 827
mirja-maija.santala@wartsila.com
 

Wärtsilä Energy Business in brief
Wärtsilä Energy Business leads the transition towards a 100% renewable energy future. We help our customers unlock the value of the energy transition by optimising their energy systems and future-proofing their assets. Our offering comprises flexible power plants, energy management systems, and storage, as well as lifecycle services that ensure increased efficiency and guaranteed performance. Wärtsilä has delivered 72 GW of power plant capacity in 180 countries around the world.
https://www.wartsila.com/energy/ 
 

Wärtsilä in brief
Wärtsilä is a global leader in smart technologies and complete lifecycle solutions for the marine and energy markets. By emphasising sustainable innovation, total efficiency and data analytics, Wärtsilä maximises the environmental and economic performance of the vessels and power plants of its customers. In 2019, Wärtsilä’s net sales totalled EUR 5.2 billion with approximately 19,000 employees. The company has operations in over 200 locations in more than 80 countries around the world. Wärtsilä is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki.
www.wartsila.com