Ontario Energy Association and Energy Storage Canada Support Widespread Adoption of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs)
Toronto, ON – December 9, 2024 – Today the Ontario Energy Association (OEA) and Energy Storage Canada (ESC) released From Small to Mighty: Unlocking DER’s to Meet Ontario’s Electricity Needs. The report recommends a policy and regulatory framework aimed at enabling the widespread adoption of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) across the province. Such a forward-looking strategy would maximize benefits for electricity customers through affordability, bill savings, and enhanced resilience; for the electricity grid through improved reliability; and for economic and environmental benefits through emission reductions.
A Framework for DERs in Ontario
The vision emphasizes empowering Ontario residents and businesses to manage their energy costs through DERs, such as rooftop solar panels, battery energy storage systems (BESS), and demand-response technologies. By leveraging DERs, the province can enhance affordability, grid reliability, and emissions reductions.
“To most efficiently meet Ontario’s future energy needs requires us to modernize our policies, regulatory framework and electricity grid to accommodate and integrate distributed energy resources (DERs),” said Vince Brescia, President & CEO, Ontario Energy Association. “The framework put forward today provides one key element of a customer-centric, scalable, and environmentally responsible approach to meeting some of Ontario’s growing energy demands.”
“Energy Storage of all types and durations is going to be critical to meeting the future needs of Ontario’s electricity system and this absolutely includes leveraging the value energy storage systems can provide as DERs,” said Justin Rangooni, President & CEO, Energy Storage Canada. “Ensuring the alignment of procurement and planning to enable DERs, enabling DERs’ full participation in IESO markets & procurements, and modernizing the province’s policy and regulatory frameworks will ensure we are utilizing the full range of benefits DERs can provide the grid to increase affordability, flexibility, and reliability in the electricity system.”