The Markham Energy Storage Facility, owned and operated under a joint venture between H2technology specialists Hydrogenics Corporation and Enbridge Gas Distribution, is now providing regulation services under contract to the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) of Ontario, Canada.
As previously announced, this project was originally awarded as one of several technology applications selected by the IESO for power grid stability and reliability services in the province.
Regulation service is an important reliability function that corrects for short-term changes in electricity use and helps compensate for real-time supply and demand imbalances. The Enbridge-Hydrogenics 2.5MW facility – designed and built on a 5MW scalable platform – features the Hydrogenics’ next-generation PEM electrolyser technology, which has the highest power density and smallest footprint of any such system in the world.
Daryl Wilson, President and CEO of Hydrogenics, stated, “We are very excited to have this latest, multi-megawatt Power-to-Gas facility up and running – here in our own back yard – providing the IESO with a fast-responding resource to enhance the flexibility and reliability of operating the grid. Drawing on our experience of providing large scale energy storage facilities in Europe, this new operation, managed with Enbridge, will be a showcase for our advanced technology in North America. With Markham up and running, Hydrogenics has now delivered over 25 megawatts of energy storage capacity using our Power-to-Gas expertise.”
Jim Sanders, President of Enbridge Gas Distribution, added, “I’ve worked in the energy sector my entire career and this is one of the most exciting projects in which I’ve ever been involved.”
“I’m proud to see a Canadian company leveraging world-class Canadian technology to solve current energy challenges. Today is a major milestone for Enbridge and Ontario’s energy sector.”
This project is another example of how the Hydrogenics’ Power-to-Gas technology is transforming the energy sector through the production of renewable H2 for zero-emission fuel cell electric vehicles (train, bus and truck fleets) or other applications while providing grid services to System Operators.
