Kerry Lakatos-Hayward

One of my main takeaways from the 2nd annual US-Canada Summit: “Critical and Emerging Technologies in Focus": AI disrupts the way humans and computers interact—it’s the biggest disruptor in 30 years—and in the #electricity sector, we need to plan now to meet the future energy demand associated with this technology. Really appreciated this panel discussion, with Jordan Jacobs, Martin Kon, Anna Makanju, Christina Montgomery and moderator Steven Overly covering how technology and innovation intersect in defining the future of North American economic competitiveness. The panel brought up some key questions the AI industry is working through: -How do we as a society want to deploy AI technology: Can we deploy it responsibly and equitably to augment humans and not replace them? -How do we deploy AI safely: Can we do so with guardrails, respecting privacy while being transparent about learnings? -How do we ensure data provenance and correct for bias and misinformation? -How do we understand AI's risks, limitations and benefits? To these core questions I would add: what are the energy implications? Once we decide what to use AI for, and how fast it is to be deployed, then the electricity system can better understand how much new power is going to be needed, and how quickly, to support AI’s deployment. Thank you to BMO and Eurasia Group for lining up a fast-paced, information-packed event.

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👀 Released today! 📣 Powering Canada: A blueprint for success Canada Electricity Advisory Council's report calls for clear, consistent policies to guide Canada's electricity transition, empowering decision-makers to drive the energy transition: 📈 Effectively ⚡ Efficiently 💲 Affordably Read here: https://lnkd.in/gB8yGWDM

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AESO Congestion Study Results - Cause for Concern The AESO published its Cluster Assessment study results yesterday (June 27th). The results are alarming and clearly demonstrate that the congestion challenges we are experiencing on the power system today in Alberta will only continue to increase under the current planning approach. The area of greatest concern is the Southeast Region, where the vast majority of current and potential renewable energy projects are located. In the BEST CASE, which only includes the projects that meet the project inclusion criteria (PIC) (which means projects that have system access service agreements in place or, if there is no system access service agreement, when permit and license has been issued by the Alberta Utilities Commission), the assessment reveals 1,234,000 MWh of congestion on the 240 kV Cassils-Bowmanton-Whitla (CBW) transmission lines and 110,000/160,000 MWh of congestion on the 240 kV Langdon-Milo 240 kV transmission lines. Over a million MWh of congestion!! The situation just gets worse as more potential projects are added, as demonstrated in the post-cluster assessment results. Thank you to the AESO's system planners for doing fantastic engineering to quantify the increasing congestion on the Alberta grid. This work clearly demonstrates the need for a different approach to system planning in Alberta to ensure a power system that is reliable, operable, affordable, and sustainable going forward. AESO Cluster Assessment Reports: https://lnkd.in/g6P_HEQ9

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AECL should invest in modernizing the CANDU reactor design. It hasn’t been updated or invested in in over a decade. Canadian utilities have been the only investor in this technology for some time now. With the energy transition and the need for clean reliable baseload nuclear energy, it’s time for AECL to modernize the technology.

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Have you read the Canada Electricity Advisory Council report outlining action necessary to advance Canada’s clean electricity future? Powering Canada: A Blueprint for Success lays out the Council’s final findings and 28 recommendations, including: ✅ measures that can create much clearer alignment on Canada’s path forward ✅ opportunities for the federal government to play an important role and enable timely buildout of the country’s electricity systems ✅ crucial support mechanisms to address fairness and ensure that the overall costs and benefits of the transition are equitably shared Read the full report here: https://ow.ly/AOiW50Sejuq Read the news release here: https://ow.ly/x9jz50SegFH

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The Transition Accelerator is proud to have contributed to the Canada Electricity Advisory Council's critical report examining the affordability of Canada's energy transition. Our analysis provides a nuanced look at the impact of electrification on Canadian households.   Key findings show that capital investments in the electricity sector are set to double by 2050, reaching $1.4 trillion, while 70% of households can expect net savings on their energy bills. However, it's crucial to recognize that not everyone will benefit equally. Some regions and lower-income households may face higher costs. This comprehensive analysis, which we will release in full in the coming months, underscores the importance of strategic investments and equitable policies to ensure a smooth transition to a net-zero future. Read the report: https://lnkd.in/epWg8KNt #EnergyTransition #Electrification #NetZeroCanada #SustainableFuture #Affordability

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The big news out of today's Electricity Advisory Council report is that federal electricity policy needs to re-balance to support smart energy demand (as well as clean energy supply) Read the highlights for energy efficiency and smart demand management here. https://lnkd.in/epE845my

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How does a moratorium on wind and solar projects impact a gas-plant power project? The answer is in the question, "In business is it better to be predictable or erratically fantastic?" Predictable wins every time. If you don't believe me look at stock prices when companies make, miss or exceed earnings expectations. This article indicates that regulatory uncertainty is a project killer as expected and predicted. Last summer the Alberta UCP Government put in a moratorium on new wind and solar projects without consulting actual project proponents. Now they lied and changed the reasons for this policy several times over two weeks, but that isn't the point. The point is regulatory uncertainty kills projects. It prevents scheduel and revenue predictability which is a touchstone requirement of large capital projects. Transalta has put on "hold" two windfarm projects AND "a 44 MW gas-fired plant called Pinnacle west of Edmonton." Full disclosure, I have not worked on any of these projects. Regulatory uncertainty is a contagion and infects directly related projects and adjacent projects too. If politicians want investment in their jurisdiction, the need to project and provide predictable regulatory regimes. #risk #contingency #regulatory #greenpower #solar #wind #gaspower #projectdevelopment https://lnkd.in/gpAExBs9

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The Northern Prairies Intertie?   Here’s a concept to consider. How about using clean, dispatchable hydro power from northern Manitoba to diversify Alberta's dependable power supply options?    Since Alberta is in the Western Interconnection and Manitoba is in the Eastern Interconnection, it would need to be an HVDC line, but long DC lines are Manitoba's specialty...    The straight-line distance (using the Haversine formula) from where the hydro resources are in Gillam, Manitoba to where there is lots of demand and transmission capacity in Fort McMurray, Alberta is a little over 1000 km across the northern prairies. Manitoba Hydro’s Bipole III HVDC line is 1400 km long.  So, an HVDC line to northern Alberta would only be about 3/4 of that length!   An intertie between Manitoba and Alberta would: - provide another market for Manitoba's power in addition to MISO and Ontario - provide another source of clean, dispatchable power for Alberta - increase competition in Alberta's wholesale power market - provide a path for surplus nuclear generation when Saskatchewan develops nuclear power by adding a third converter station in the future   It wouldn't be easy, and it would be expensive. But, compared to the billions of dollars being spent on Canadian "energy transition" projects of much lower and questionable quality, it seems pretty reasonable to this power system engineer.     I'm curious what others think... Manitoba Hydro Bipoles: https://lnkd.in/g-vy3DwV Good example of questionable energy transition spending: https://lnkd.in/gwx4gZ3z

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This is a simple balanced article from a utilities executive in Alberta outlining the challenges and potential considerations as we transition to a NetZero grid. Interestingly, these challenges do exist in other deregulated markets and traditional utility monopoly markets in emerging economies in Asia. #renewables #gridreliability #greenenergy https://lnkd.in/gM8hbbcX

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Today is #Earth Day, an opportunity to reflect on how our collective actions to conserve resources can have a big impact in meeting climate action goals. I have the privilege of witnessing this firsthand.   Our customers' collective actions to conserve energy last year will potentially add up to about 10 million gigajoules of energy saved, over the life of those measures. That's the equivalent energy use needed to heat around 100,000 homes for a year.    Our customers also saved around 31.4 gigawatt hours of electricity in 2023, which is roughly the equivalent energy use needed to power more than 1,110 homes for a year.     Now with a record $700 million to invest in energy conservation over the next four years, our customers will have access to an ever-growing range of programs to help lower energy use.   I'd like to thank our customers for their continued efforts. By working together, they're making progress towards a lower-carbon energy future. #earthday

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PJM Statements on EPA GHG Regs - Parallels to Canadian CER On May 8, PJM published a document outlining its perspectives on the US EPA's new rule on New Source Performance Standards for Greenhouse Gas Emissions. PJM collaborated with MISO, SPP, and ERCOT to develop their position. Here are a few statements I found most interesting: "There is very little evidence, other than some limited CSS projects, that this technology and associated transportation infrastructure would be widely available throughout the country in time to meet the compliance deadlines under the Rule." "The future demand for electricity cannot be met simply through renewables given their intermittent nature... The EPA has not sufficiently reconciled its compliance dates with the need for generation to meet dramatically increasing load demands on the system." "The Final Rule, which is premised, in part, on the availability of natural gas for co-firing or full conversion, does not sufficiently take into account these limitations on the development of new pipeline infrastructure." The EPA and the Canadian government through its Clean Electricity Regulations (CER) seem to be taking a similar approach to GHG mitigation in that both are mandating technologies and timelines that are simply not technically feasible to maintain supply adequacy and reliability while satisfying increasing load growth. Hopefully both federal administrations will acknowledge physical reality and temper their aspirations before the negative reliability and economic impacts of these policies are realized. PJM Statement on EPA GHG Rule: https://lnkd.in/gz4P9aEk Canadian Clean Electricity Regulations (CER): https://lnkd.in/g57YZqBf My Perspective on the CER: https://lnkd.in/gSE-YBu9

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As the sun sets on Earth Day 2024, I thought it would be interesting to see how we're doing on our power system GHG emissions in Canada relative to the rest of the world. So, I went to Our World in Data and found that we're doing well at 0.14 kg of CO2/kWh vs 0.22 kg of CO2/kWh for the world average, and improving each year. We're making progress 🙂 Source - Our World in Data: https://lnkd.in/gwR4EFzr

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Major energy projects are anticipated to move the needle for sustainable global energy; and when done in partnership with local communities and First Nations, like EverWind Fuels Port Tupper, can also bring resounding positive impacts for future generations. This project is bringing #employment and #training opportunities for people of all ages from surrounding areas. Considering the global resource shortage affecting us all, this could be a game changer for our industry. #workforce #craftlabour #sustainableinfrastructure #hydrogen #ammonia #sustainablefuels

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The Canada Electricity Advisory Council report outlining action necessary to advance Canada’s clean electricity is out. Just a few of the members of the Advisory Council are Emily Whetung MacInnes; Madeleine Redfern and Greg Robart, P.Eng. so that should give you a sense of the quality of the report. Now, it's time to act decisively on climate change. Let's unite, collaborate, and champion change together.

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New study identifies how energy storage advancements can accelerate renewable energy adoption, grid reliability, and broader electrification The B.C. Centre for Innovation and Clean Energy (CICE) released a comprehensive analysis today of how advancements in energy storage can facilitate higher levels of renewable energy adoption. The “Powering the Future with Energy Storage” report answers three urgent questions surrounding the future of the electricity system and grid decarbonization: What is the role of energy storage technologies in enabling higher levels of variable renewable generation sources such as wind and solar? How will this role change with the electrification of sectors such as buildings, heating, transportation, and other major carbon-emitting industries? How will this electrification impact B.C., and where are the opportunities for innovators? “Enabling efficient integration of energy sources like wind and solar is imperative to achieving a sustainable energy future,” said Sarah Goodman, President and Chief Executive Officer of CICE. “This research highlights the emerging role of energy storage in advancing grid reliability and scalability to meet growing demand for clean, affordable electricity.” https://lnkd.in/gNW7YCFn #EnergyStorage #RenewableEnergy #GridReliability #Electrification #CleanEnergy #CICE #WindPower #SolarEnergy #GridDecarbonization #EnergyInnovation #SustainableFuture #ElectricitySystem #GreenEnergy #ClimateChange #EnergyTechnologies #CarbonReduction #RenewableIntegration #FutureEnergy #EnergyResearch #SarahGoodman #PoweringTheFuture

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MNP’s strategic and technical collaboration with Electricity Canada is a perfect case study for ongoing innovation and cooperation within the industry as they seek to harness the full potential of data and collaboration to boost innovation. 🚀💡 #Innovation #DataCollaboration #IndustryInsights Learn more here 👉 https://lnkd.in/dwE5hDMU

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