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e-STORAGE, the battery energy storage subsidiary of Canadian Solar Inc. (CSIQ-Q), has been selected by Nova Scotia Power as the developer of three facilities totalling 150 megawatts of capacity.
To be located in Bridgewater, Waverley and White Rock, e-STORAGE will perform the engineering, procurement and construction of the 50-megawatt, four-hour storage systems.
The first site is expected to be operational in 2025, with construction on all projects finished by the end of 2026, according to a release.
The energy storage will help reduce Nova Scotia Power’s greenhouse gas emissions by 98,000 tonnes of per year, the provincial utility says.
Nova Scotia Power expects the project costs to total approximately $354 million, according to CBC News.
"We are thrilled to partner with Nova Scotia Power on these innovative energy storage projects, contributing to provincial and federal targets of achieving 80 per cent renewables by 2030,” Colin Parkin, president of e-STORAGE, said in the announcement.
Funding the projects
In February, the Canada Infrastructure Bank unveiled a $132.8-million loan to support what was described as Atlantic Canada's largest planned energy storage project to date.
Nova Scotia Power is expected to receive the majority of the loan at up to $120.2 million, while the Wskijinu'k Mtmo'taqnuow Agency Ltd. that represents 13 Mi'kmaw communities was offered a loan of up to $18 million to invest in the energy storage projects.
Additionally, Natural Resources Canada's Smart Renewables Energy and Electrification Pathways Program provided $130 million, according to Nova Scotia Power.
e-STORAGE, based in Guelph, Ont., has deployed over five gigawatt-hours direct current of global battery energy storage, including Canada. The three Nova Scotia projects total 705 megawatt-hours direct current.
Backing up Nova Scotia’s greening
Energy storage is key to Nova Scotia’s 2030 Clean Power Plan, which entails phasing out coal and using renewable energy for 80 per cent of the province’s power. As of 2019, over half of Nova Scotia’s electricity was generated using coal and coke.
As more wind and solar energy powers the province, large batteries are needed for grid reliability by holding power during off-peak periods and releasing it upon demand.
In the 2030 Clean Power Plan, Nova Scotia set out to add 300 megawatts to 400 megawatts of energy storage to complement adding approximately one gigawatt of wind energy and over 300 megawatts of solar energy to the province’s electric grid.
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