Candadian Utility kicks off Energy Storage Project

MISSISSAUGA, Ontario–(BUSINESS WIRE)–There has been a lot of press lately about electric Utilities and how their grid needs to evolve and become smart to allow choices for customers to generate and store power at their own premises.

“Distributed Generation and storage with the help of sustainable clean and green technologies such as cogeneration and solar is the smart way to produce and use energy.”

Oshawa Power and Panasonic Eco Solutions, together with select strategic technology partners including Tabuchi Electric Co. of Japan and with support from the City of Oshawa, have today kicked off an innovative Solar PV and Energy Management pilot project in the City of Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. The project will involve the engineering and commissioning of approximately thirty turnkey residential rooftop solar PV systems that will be combined with energy storage and an energy management system. The energy management system will provide homeowners the ability to better manage both their energy generation and consumption, thereby reducing their cost of electricity and their carbon footprint. The energy storage and management system, which can provide up to 10kWh of standby energy, can also be utilized as a source of backup power in the event of a grid power failure.

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At the heart of the system is Tabuchi Electric’s EIBS hybrid PV inverter with embedded multi-string MPPT charger that controls both the solar array and the energy storage battery. The energy storage system includes Panasonic’s world class, compact lithium ion batteries that are designed to provide safe and reliable power on demand for many years.

The project is being supported by the City of Oshawa and funding for the project is being facilitated by Tabuchi Electric (Japan).

“The project provides us the opportunity to collaborate with progressive partners who share a common goal of instilling change in the arena of distributed energy generation. We felt that Oshawa Power and Utilities and the City of Oshawa, together with Tabuchi Electric share our goal of promoting new and leading edge technologies aimed at improving energy management for the betterment of society,” said Walter Buzzelli, Managing Director, Panasonic Eco Solutions Canada.

Atul Mahajan, the CEO of Oshawa Power and Utilities is equally excited about the prospects of this project and the changes coming to his Industry. Mahajan says, “Distributed Generation and storage with the help of sustainable clean and green technologies such as cogeneration and solar is the smart way to produce and use energy.” He adds, “The cost effective reliable disruptive technologies that are already here and those that are around the corner will finally provide the customers the options which they did not have in a traditional Utility model. Think of solar + storage as the wireless smart phone equivalent, in the evolution of Electrical Industry. Will these technologies and their proponents and supporters go through teething troubles? Yes. But eventually, they will become as ubiquitous as the smart phone.”
The complete commissioning of the residential energy management systems is due to be completed in the spring of 2015 after which a broader roll out in the City of Oshawa and the Province of Ontario will be initiated.

About the City of Oshawa
The City of Oshawa is a growing community of 157,000 and is the largest city in Durham Region. Traditionally recognized as an automotive centre of excellence, the community is continuing to grow as a diverse and innovative city for business, research and education across a variety of sectors including Advanced Manufacturing, Health and Biosciences, Energy Generation, Multimodal Transportation and Logistics, and Information Technology.

About Oshawa Power and Utilities Corporation
Oshawa Power and Utilities Corporation (OPUC) is an infrastructure assets holding company that provides energy and communication related services through its various subsidiaries, which were formed to provide regulated electricity distribution services in the City of Oshawa and non-regulated energy generation and fiber optics based high speed communication services in Oshawa and the rest of the province of Ontario.

About Tabuchi Electric Co., Ltd.
Since its founding in 1925 as a silicon steel-pressing business, Tabuchi Electric has evolved continually into a highly successful and bankable manufacturer of industrial and consumer electrical products, including: transformers; reactors; power supplies and LED lighting power. In 2005 Tabuchi successfully introduced their power conditioners into the PV Solar market, and in 2011 launched the EneTelus line of PV Solar Inverters which includes the EIBS: an innovative hybrid inverter for PV Solar arrays and battery storage systems. The Tabuchi mission is to grow and continue to lead as a sustainable earth-friendly company.

About Panasonic Eco Solutions Canada Inc.
Panasonic Eco Solutions Canada Inc. is the Canadian arm of a global team within Panasonic Corporation. Its mission is to become the leader in the deployment of renewable, smart energy systems in Canada. Panasonic provides reliable and bankable, full end-to-end turnkey solutions, enabling all the required elements for renewable solar and energy storage initiatives, including full installation, financing, long term assurance and full operations and maintenance.