At Sunverge we think of ourselves as changing the game in distributed energy with
PowerStream CEO Brian Bentz accepting CanSIA Game Changer Award
intelligent storage that makes possible innovations like Virtual Power Plants. So we were proud that PowerStream, one of our key partners in Canada, was presented with the Game Changer Award for Smart Energy Management by the Canadian Solar Industries Association (CanSIA). PowerStream was recognized for its residential program incorporating rooftop solar PV and Sunverge SIS systems that the utility can aggregate into a Virtual Power Plant (VPP) using the Sunverge control platform.
While this is a pilot, the goal is to expand installations among the 380,000 customers PowerStream serves north of Toronto and in central Ontario. The award “acknowledges successful efforts to integrate solar into a holistic energy management environment,” in CanSIA’s words, and reinforces PowerStream’s commitment to “embrace the future of grid modernization”. This award underscores not just innovation but the value of a strategic partnership among forward-looking utilities, PV vendors and Sunverge.
The award also comes as the provincial government in Ontario is about to unveil a CDN$7 billion program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in 2030 by 37 per cent from their levels in 1990. A significant part of the effort will be to switch to solar and reduce the use of natural gas for energy. VPPs will play a huge role in making this switch feasible and economical. Pilot projects like PowerStream’s are paving the way for this expansion and ensuring that Ontario’s grid will be up to the task.
