Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA) has announced its latest funding of CA$88 million towards various energy storage projects in Alberta. These projects aim to create long-term emissions reduction potential through technology innovations while also generating economic value for the province.
One of the notable projects funded by ERA is North America’s largest vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) at the Chappice Lake solar PV project. This 2.8MW/8.4MWh Invinity VS3 model flow battery system, developed by Elemental Energy, went online in September last year.
ERA is also supporting Canada’s first commercial vanadium recovery project, a flow battery system using different electrolyte technology from Lockheed Martin, and early-stage pumped hydro energy storage development, among others.
Through its Reshaping Energy Systems competition, ERA has selected 13 projects to receive funding ranging from CA$500,000 to CA$6.5 million each. These projects include large-scale battery energy storage systems, hydrogen fuelling stations, small modular nuclear reactors, and technology to eliminate methane flaring off gas pipelines.
One of the projects receiving the largest funding is Atlas Power Technologies, which will deploy a supercapacitor energy storage system at an existing hydroelectric power plant operated by TransAlta. This system, a first-of-its-kind project for North America, will provide fast frequency response ancillary services to the Alberta grid.
Other projects funded include a BESS deployment at an envirofuels facility, a standalone BESS connected to the distribution grid, and the evaluation of BESS technology for the transmission grid. Graph Energy is also receiving funding for graphene ultracapacitors to lower fuel consumption in remote generators, while Landmark Group of Companies will connect 100 net zero energy solar homes to a virtual power plant network.
These projects represent a significant investment in Alberta’s energy storage sector, setting the stage for a more sustainable and resilient energy future for the province.
