Can BC generate enough energy to meet the growing demand and keep the lights on? Not without exploring alternative solutions says former Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources.
When most people think about energy and electricity, they tend to focus on simple acts, such as flipping on a light switch and expecting it to turn on.
However, Michelle Mungall, Senior Advisor for BC Initiatives at Energy Storage Canada says the process behind how that electricity powers a house is much more complex.
BC relies heavily on hydroelectric power and with the impacts of climate change increasing the demand for sustainable energy solutions, Mungall says energy storage could be the solution needed.
“We need to think bigger than just batteries in flashlights or phones.” said Mungall.
“We’re talking about grid-scale batteries that can store and discharge massive amounts of energy when it’s most needed. Instead of trying to build out a system that can meet energy demand whenever we want it, we should focus on storing energy for peak times.”
The Columbia Basin generates roughly 50 per cent of the province’s energy through its reservoir system, which has been a reliable energy source for decades.
But is it enough?
Mungall said the energy storage system has been very effective but notes there are many others that have yet to be embraced.
“Grid-scale batteries, pump storage, and compressed air are starting to come online more and more as newer technologies. They provide energy storage in different ways but with the same purpose: to discharge energy or put those electrons onto the grid when needed.”
As an example, Mungall says grid-scale batteries could be used to store energy generated at a reservoir outside of peak consumption hours, instead of depleting it during peak hours.
“Instead of depleting the reservoir at 5:00 p.m., we could generate our energy and charge up the batteries when we need less energy, like at 3 a.m.”
“We could then take energy out of the batteries during peak hours and that would help keep rates affordable , because when you have high demand, rates go up.”
Climate Change and Energy
The increasing impacts of climate change add another layer of urgency for other energy storage methods.
Mungall says low snowpack levels are significantly impacting the province’s energy systems, particularly hydroelectric sources, as 70 per cent of the water in BC reservoirs rely on snowpack melt, with the remaining 30 per cent coming from rain and glacier melt.
“When you look at that combination, snow is the big deal.”
“We have to make sure that we’re mitigating any situation for the things that we can’t control, such as how much snow is going to come from the sky. This is where energy storage can be really important.”
Rather than requiring a reservoir to fill up enough to meet all demand at one point in time, Mungall said they should look into generating electricity continuously throughout a 24-hour cycle.
“If we store it in batteries, when they do want that electricity, we can take it out of the battery and put it on the grid.”
She says BC Hydro is well aware of the impacts of the province’s water levels on the power grid and is actively investigating innovative energy storage solutions.
Net Zero Impacts on the Power Grid
With federal legislation requiring that all new vehicles sold must be net zero by 2035, Mungall said the demand for energy is set to surge.
She says BC Hydro and other utilities are planning for the future increase with a $36 billion investment into infrastructure upgrades and interconnected grids with neighbouring jurisdictions to balance the surge in demand.
“In BC, we really benefit from an arm of BC Hydro called PowerX that is able to buy power from other jurisdictions, like California, when they have more solar power than they know what to do with.”
“They can sell it to us, and we can use our reservoirs later in the day. So that type of inter-grid connection and selling back and forth happens a lot, and it’s beneficial.”
She says these partnerships will be crucial as demand increases and that the province is learning from other areas to find the best solutions.
“Necessity is often what drives change and some of these technologies and innovations are relatively new.”
“I would always guide the utility, as energy ministers, to be prudent, watch what other people are doing, see what works best, and then we can jump in for British Columbian ratepayers with the best practices and hit the ground running rather than be too much of a test case.”
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