Projects
The Grid Modernization Centre’s unparalleled technical capabilities, combined with the critical mass of expertise across its ecosystem of stakeholders and staff, will be the first Canadian initiative of its kind.
The Centre will accelerate the integration of energy solutions into the grid and provide critical data to decision-makers involved in the transition, including generators, utilities, regulators, municipalities, OEMs and SMEs. The Centre will work with these stakeholders to help grow their technologies in several areas of exploration that align with their technology roadmaps to accelerate the adoption of new technologies and solutions.
These areas of exploration include:
- Simulating, testing, integrating and validating solutions developed by SMEs (e.g., EV charging infrastructure, renewables, energy storage and power management systems), studying their impact on the evolving grid and determining the most efficient utilization of assets in future green-powered grids
- Supporting the growth of client SMEs through technology testing and validation that will lower R&D risks and accelerate grid integration and adoption
- Conducting projects related to transportation electrification to support the planning of EV charging infrastructure to keep up with anticipated EV supply needs and government plans to increase EV adoption
- Testing innovations to manage the increasing frequency of major disruptions on grid resiliency caused by climate change and extreme weather conditions to ensure Canada’s energy security
- Supporting the implementation of state-of-the-art cybersecurity and AI-based solutions to ensure a secure future grid
- Impacting energy policy by providing simulations of different scenarios accompanied by U of T’s policy expertise to accelerate grid decarbonization
- Generating the currently-lacking data, expertise and knowledge needed to support a pan-Canadian grid and cross-provincial connectivity
- Designing, modelling and testing microgrid and distributed energy solutions that wean Indigenous and remote communities off diesel, with the eventual goal of completely eliminating non-green assets
- Training a new generation of energy experts with the skillsets needed to thrive in the decarbonized economy