Featured research projects

Problem 

Diesel-powered public transportation systems continue to emit greenhouse gasses and contribute to both air pollution and climate change. 

Solution 

Choosing a clean, sustainable energy source requires an economic assessment of energy costs and the benefits of direct electrification (DE) versus hydrogen-based electrification (Hydrail) to determine which offers better value. It also involved modelling the projected hourly load, hourly Ontario energy prices (HOEP) and global adjustment (GA) fees to offer an evidence-based conclusion. 

CUE’s role

The research team of Carlos Sabillon, Bob Singh and Bala Venkatesh compared DE and hydrogen models to determine optimal electrical demand profiles and assess the economic impact of choosing hydrogen for mass transit. 

Problem 

Traditionally, customers only interact with the energy grid to buy and receive. With energy use and storage on the rise, there are opportunities for a two-way system, but there is no fluid market for selling back to the grid during peak or other times.

Solution 

Ontario needs a flexible electricity marketplace for energy exchange. This requires a transactive energy framework at the distribution level as a base for negotiated contracts and economic benefits for components (such as storage devices and electric vehicles) in the system.

Impact 

A transactional energy system will revolutionize the market for electricity by creating local energy economies (neighbourhoods, towns, regions) and enabling the larger system to function more efficiently. A dynamic balance of supply and demand across Ontario’s electrical infrastructure can be achieved by a TES.

CUE’s role

From 2018-2020, research fellows Carlos Sabillon and Amr Adel will develop a TES framework that includes agencies to control the market portion of the distribution system, aggregators to combine smaller assets that offer services to the grid, and industrial customers who can impact market price. Research fellow Jessie Ma (pictured) will conduct the accompanying research into energy storage. 

Problem 

Large loads experience momentary power interruptions and voltage sags which could last from a few cycles (one cycle = 16.6 milliseconds) to several seconds. These incidents cause certain sensitive equipment to malfunction.

Solution 

A criterion is needed for correcting incidents in less than 10 milliseconds after the start of the momentary interruption. A power conditioner and a bypass switch can correct momentary power interruptions and voltage sags that a sensitive customer experiences such that the compensated voltage at the site falls above the chosen criterion.

Impact 

The power conditioner exploits the assumed fast control actions that can be taken by power electronics devices. Therefore, the adverse impact of momentary power interruptions and voltage sags at customer sites can be mitigated.

CUE’s role

Under the direction of Bala Venkatesh and Omid Alizadeh (pictured), researchers at CUE developed and designed the solution proposed in this project in consultation with Toronto Hydro engineers. They also studied the performance of the proposed solution.

Problem 

Canadian transmission and distribution assets are aging and require significant investment, conservatively estimated at $350 billion by 2030. Energy storage can help reduce or eliminate these costs while providing a solution to renewable energy intermittency and improving grid resilience.

Solution 

This five-year, $5 million pan-Canada network, funded by NSERC, brings together the brightest minds in academia, industry, utility and government to explore four research themes aimed at developing and marketing the next generation of energy storage technologies.

Impact 

The NSERC Energy Storage Technology Network (NESTNet) is poised to become the global leader in energy storage, placing Canada at the forefront of this growing market. The network will also train highly qualified personnel to build and operate the next generation of electricity systems with energy storage.

CUE’s role

CUE plays a central role in NESTNet, leading its creation and managing the network. CUE researchers are also heading several projects within the four interrelated research themes and providing Ryerson students with hands-on experience.

Problem 

Tata Power-DDL needs to plan ahead for a changing system load profile. It must maintain a grid that can manage increases in both new energy technologies (such as batteries and solar panels) and energy demand (such as electric vehicle uptake). It also needs to accommodate power flowing from the customer to the company while minimizing costs.

Solution 

Representative sections of the Tata Power-DDL network were acquired and analyzed to understand the implications and make recommendations regarding Delhi’s changing energy needs, storage and technologies.

Impact 

Solutions for the growing needs of this heavily populated area of India will benefit the entire country. Real-world testing and data can be used to plan the grid of the future and meet ever-increasing demands for energy consumption, storage and two-way power delivery. In addition, export opportunities for Ontario technology companies are provided. 

CUE’s role

CUE led this planning study. Researchers assimilated data received from Tata Power-DDL, developed recommendations for improvements in technical efficiencies such as loss reduction, and provided guidance to manage future development and new products such as solar PV, energy storage and electric cars.