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Edmonton50 company Aqua-Cell Energy partners with the City of Medicine Hat to support electrical grid flexibility and resiliency
International Energy Agency (IEA) forecasts growth in global electricity consumption of around 4% a year for the next ten years, led by electrification of emerging and developing economies, decarbonization of heavy industry, and shifting of transport sector from fossil fuels to EVs. The rate of increase in electricity demand has further accelerated in the pace due to new technological trends such as data centres, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence infrastructure.
This new electricity demand is increasingly being met with low-carbon and renewable energy sources such as wind and solar. The renewables now supply about 30% of global electricity generation and this share of renewables is expected to rise even further. The challenges associated with intermittent sources such as solar and wind include limitations of existing transmission and distribution system, plus the need for enough storage to keep up with growth. Issues such as peak demand, supply flexibility, and grid reliability become important as the demand grows, and the system also needs adapt to variable supply.
Electricity demand inherently varies over time - hourly, daily, and seasonally, and it has become further volatile with increased electrification such as EVs and heat pumps, and the introduction of variable renewables such as solar and wind. Peak demand - maximum power requirement in a given period (e.g., MW on a summer afternoon) - determines how much generation and grid infrastructure must be built - even if used only a few hours per year. These peaks are getting higher with more electric loads, less predictable with introduction of weather-driven renewables, and more localized due to issues such as urban vs rural and industrial clusters. Upgrading of grid capacity is capital-intensive and slow, and often lags behind new renewable projects or EV clusters. Another issue that comes up with increased demand is congestion. It occurs when power can’t flow freely from where it’s generated to where it’s needed due to network bottlenecks. Energy storage addresses all of the above challenges by smoothing load profile as it absorbs surplus during low demand and releases it during peaks, and by relieving congestion as it stores energy locally and shifts it in time.
“Deployment of distributed energy storage creates the possibility of delaying the upgrades our distribution and transmission system, and accommodate the increase in electricity demand,” says Raymond Chokelal, a senior electrical engineer at the City of Medicine Hat. He adds “Aqua-Cell's saltwater batteries connected to our grid around the city at various locations will help us with grid congestion and accommodate the additional load. It's a non-wires upgrade to our electrical transmission grid."
“Aqua-Cell salt-water flow battery uses salt-water chemistry to provide a stable, environmentally-friendly energy source at scale. When increased loads demand increased distribution and transmission capacities, we are an alternative to expensive electrical grid upgrades. Our battery - the size of a shipping container - also allows for consistent solar or wind power, so you don't get any fluctuations or interruptions in the energy supply." says Keith Cleland, Chief Executive Officer of Aqua-Cell Energy.
About City of Medicine Hat
Medicine Hat is the only city in Canada that owns its own energy production and distribution – a micro-grid separate from Alberta's larger provincial power grid.
About Aqua-Cell
Edmonton-based Aqua-Cell Energy builds salt water flow batteries the size of a shipping container, for commercial buildings, small industrial facilities and grid operators to provide electrical grid flexibility and resiliency, and to store power from intermittent renewables such as solar and wind and provide balanced power without fluctuations.
About Scale Up Canada
Scale Up Canada is a not-for-profit dedicated to connecting Canadian innovators with industry experts and strategic investors. Our mission is to drive the global commercialization of Canadian-made innovations, ensure investor readiness for high-potential startups, and build capacity for community organizations working with Canadian founders. This project was partially funded through Scale Up Canada’s Expert Advisory + Grants program.