Report supports geothermal and thermal storage to offset grid loads in Ontario

A new report commissioned by the Ontario Clean Air Alliance recommends incentives to boost the installation of more ground source heat pumps, thermal storage solutions, electric batteries and two-way electric vehicle chargers to help offset the demand on the  province’s power grid.

Prepared by McDiarmid Climate Consulting, the study,  An Analysis of the Impacts of All-Electric Heat Pumps and Peak Mitigation Technologies on Peak Power Demand in Ontario, did the research to determine how the shift to using heat pumps to heat and cool homes in Ontario will affect peak period electricity demand.

It’s widely acknowledged that Ontario and other provinces will need to increase grid capacity as more sectors of the economy electrify, and this report analyzes specific solutions for reducing peak power draws from single family homes that adopt all-electric heat pumps.

The conclusions reveal that solutions such as thermal storage, batteries and pairing with electric vehicles can reduce demand more cost effectively than building additional electricity generation. It shows how installation of ground source heat pumps (GSHP) instead of air source heat pumps (ASHP) can reduce the power demand from all-electric heat pumps on winter peak hours.

Therefore, it recommends that utilities and governments incentivize the adoption of all of these solutions for single family homes.

The entire report can be viewed here: cleanairalliance.org