Government of Canada Funds Smart Grid Expansion to Fight Climate Change, Create Clean Jobs and Ensure Safer Power Delivery for Canadians

January 15, 2018                                   Ottawa             Natural Resources Canada                   

Smart grids — electric grids that make better use of existing generation, transmission and distribution assets to provide a higher quality of service to customers — result in more dynamic and flexible electricity systems and safer delivery of power, while creating good middle-class jobs for Canadians.

Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, the Honourable Jim Carr, today announced a $100-million call for proposals to fund more smart grid systems.

By increasing the hosting capacity of renewable energy, increasing resiliency and improving energy efficiency and conservation, smart grids are a key enabler for greenhouse gas mitigation. These systems will build a foundation for the next generation of innovative technologies and systems, supporting more customer-owned energy generation and service options and leading to entirely new applications.

The funding was provided as part of the Budget 2017 commitment of $21.9 billion for green infrastructure in support of the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change.

To help interested stakeholders find information on federal programming that can help develop smart grids in Canada, a new website has been established, which includes a comprehensive guide to funding for eligible projects.

Through Canada’s national energy dialogue, Generation Energy, Canadians made it clear that building a clean economy requires accelerating the market entry of next-generation clean energy infrastructure.

By investing in smart grid technology demonstrations and the deployment of smart grid systems with Canada’s electricity utilities and electricity system operators, our government is reducing barriers to innovation and positioning Canada as a global leader.