By Ka-Ming Lin

A new net zero project being developed in London, Ontario just took a major step forward.  The Government of Ontario has posted the following decision on the Environmental Registry.  This is an enabling regulation for the West 5 development which will be a demonstration of a smart community microgrid.  The decision will allow the project to engage in Community Net Metering (“CNM”) where renewable energy generation will be used to supply the community, and any excess can be returned to the grid.  Click here for some background on net metering previously provided by ORTECH in 2020.

CNM addresses one of the big drawbacks of net metering.  In Ontario, net metered facilities are restricted to a single customer meter.  Any facility that wishes to generate power to offset their loads can only offset their own loads.  Separately metered campuses with multiple tenants and uses had a barrier in participating.  This new regulation addresses this concern for West 5 and provides a framework for other future projects to follow.

Notable in the new regulation are requirements on how the various facilities are connected, whether it is loads, generation or storage equipment.  Additionally, any project wishing to participate in CNM at this time will need to be individually added to the regulation.  The current regulation requires a contract for the net metering arrangement with the local utility with a maximum term of 10 years and a maximum project size of 10 MW.

How can ORTECH help?

In order to help you determine if net metering is right for you, ORTECH will utilize our organization’s breadth of experience. We combine different areas of expertise, from project development to operation and maintenance. We provide effective solutions for the evaluation, design, installation, operation, and maintenance of turnkey renewable energy facilities including solar PV facilities. Our approach includes the expertise of ORTECH’s parent company, Kontrol Technologies  Corp. and it’s other operating subsidiaries with extensive solar project development, energy retrofit, distributed power generation, energy analysis and GHG and carbon reduction experience. ORTECH alone has worked on over a thousand renewable energy facilities in Ontario, including feasibility studies and financial analysis, technical reviews, audits, and construction management.