Media Release
“50MW of Energy Storage Plan in Ontario ignites Ontario based Intelligent Energy Storage Company eCAMION’s Vision to make the Grid Smarter” Markham, Ontario -­‐ 2 December 2013 -­‐ eCAMION Inc. is thrilled by Minister Charelli’s leadership and vision regarding intelligent energy storage in Achieving Balance – Ontario’s Long Term Energy Plan (LTEP). eCAMION, a technology based integrator and manufacturer of Community Energy Storage systems, listened carefully to Minister Charelli’s Announcement on Monday, where “by the end of 2014, the government will include storage technologies in the procurement process starting with 50MW and assessing additional engagement on an ongoing basis”. This recognizes energy storage the first time as an asset in Ontario’s energy infrastructure. This will be a real boost for Ontario’s economy and will create long-­‐term jobs within a number of Ontario based smart grid, energy storage and intelligent controls companies including eCAMION. “ Achieving Balance – Ontario’s Long Term Energy Plan is well thought out and shows leadership from the Government and the Minister in supporting innovative technologies into the grid” says Hari Subramaniam, CEO, “The LTEP now provides a clear plan for intelligent energy storage integration into the grid, providing a launch pad for Ontario companies in this space to innovate, deploy and create sustainable jobs”. The most significant impact of this announcement is that it provides Ontario with a new asset in their T&D arsenal. Energy storage provides a number of benefits as it can help improve power quality, energy flow, and reliability and importantly ensure smooth transition to an intelligent electrical grid system. Community Energy storage has the potential to remove the need for diesel generators and facilitates the integration of renewable technologies and drive adoption of electric vehicles; it helps to keep voltage levels constant for commercial and industrial customers. From a value for money perspective it allows Ontario and LDC’s to help prioritize and defer capital work. Energy storage acts a buffer and provides critical back up for Ontario’s electricity grid. “I feel elated by the Minister’s vision for the positive treatment of intelligent energy storage in the Long Term Energy Plan” says Carmine Pizzurro, Founder and CTO, eCAMION “I founded the company to solve electrical grid problems and create Ontario jobs; both have a path forward” eCAMION was formed in 2009 and is developing Community Energy Storage with a consortium that includes Toronto Hydro and Sustainable Development Technology Canada. We have flexible, scalable and modular battery energy storage systems and we design and manufacture anti idling technologies/auxiliary power solutions. eCAMION is currently developing and deploying approximately 5MW of Community Energy Storage with six LDC’s in different parts of the province. For more information please contact: Nicholas Fincham Sales and Marketing Director +1 (416) 318-­‐1901 [email protected] Hari Subramanian CEO +1 (647) 583-­‐1833 [email protected] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGLX0mKjmwA&list=UUPO0OTx9uIymuYmG_Ss1AEQ&index=1 eCAMION Inc., 226 Esna Park Drive, Unit #1, Markham, ON, L3H 13R, Canada Backgrounder The Challenge Facing the Distribution Grid and eCAMION’s Solution. The problem faced by a large urban distribution grid infrastructure is the same as for road infrastructure. Grids have become antiquated and inefficient over time. With more renewable generation (wind/solar) coming online and the unknown demands arising from electric vehicles, the ability of a utility to deliver electricity will create further stress on aging infrastructure. At present there is no integrated tool available to the distribution grid to manage this increased renewable penetration and growth in electric vehicles. A “big box” retailer with a roof top solar panel could overload the local grid. Similarly a cluster of EVs charging at the same time can also overburden the grid. Urban utilities are facing growing levels of required infrastructure investment. In 2011, Toronto Hydro spent over $400 million in infrastructure upgrades to maintain its 25,000 km distribution grid. New York City spent nearly $2 billion in 2011 on its electricity distribution infrastructure. This spending is necessary and will continue to grow unless innovation is introduced to manage and efficiently renew this infrastructure. Energy storage is the “linchpin” of the new energy era as it can drive advancement in four (4) key areas: •
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Increases electricity grid asset utilization, thus deferring capital investments Handles the intermittent nature of distributed renewable generation (wind/solar) with ramping/firming Supports building automation, provides back-­‐up power and can be used in auxiliary power unit (eAPU) applications, all of which can help shift demands on the electricity grid Supports deployment of Electric Vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure by creating access points with time-­‐managed charging costs while also allowing the utility to control the highly-­‐localized demand peaks in clusters of EVs charging at the same time. eCAMION has developed a novel energy storage system based on Lithium-­‐ion batteries, termed Community Energy Storage (CES). The first version of the system has been developed with funding support from Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) and is a collaborative effort alongside the University of Toronto, Dow Kokam and Toronto Hydro. The 500kW/250kWh unit was installed in February 2013, adjacent to Roding Arena and Community Centre, 600 Roding Street, North York, ON, Canada. The CES unit is tied to the Community Centre’s 75kW solar panels and is grid-­‐connected to Toronto Hydro. eCAMION Inc., 226 Esna Park Drive, Unit #1, Markham, ON, L3H 13R, Canada Photographs of Roding Arena and Community Centre, North York, ON The CES system has better performance and lower costs for high power/energy applications; it is 98%+ efficient and can operate in -­‐20°C and up to 60°C. The footprint is sized to fit standard utility padmount switchgear. It is more unobtrusive and integrates seamlessly for utilities to install, operate and maintain. The control electronics for the CES consists of the battery management system (BMS) and the Control, Protection, and Power Management (CPPM) system. These systems contain patented algorithms and intelligence that interfaces between the utility grid, battery management system, and the grid-­‐tie inverter. eCAMION designs CES units, which are the perfect fit for Utility infrastructure, Independent Power Producers, and Commercial & Industrial End Users. We protect critical loads and operations during electricity disruptions (e.g. outages). We design safe smart energy storage units to meet the most demanding applications. All of our units are modular and scalable by optimizing new battery chemistries as well as repurposed vehicle batteries. Each unit has an integrated Battery Management System (BMS), advanced electronics and intelligent controls to maintain its safe operation. eCAMION is currently developing and deploying approximately 5MW of Community Energy Storage projects. eCAMION is a founding member of the Ontario Energy Storage Alliance and sits on the Ontario Energy Board’s Smart Grid Advisory Committee: Storage Working Group. eCAMION intends to expand from its base Markham to serve customers globally. For more information please contact: Nicholas Fincham Sales and Marketing Director +1 (416) 318-­‐1901 [email protected] www.ecamion.com Hari Subramanian CEO +1 (647) 583-­‐1833 [email protected] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGLX0mKjmwA&list=UUPO0OTx9uIymuYmG_Ss1AEQ&index=1 eCAMION Inc., 226 Esna Park Drive, Unit #1, Markham, ON, L3H 13R, Canada