The Canadian Renewable Energy Association (CanREA) issued a call to Canada's governments, utilities, regulators and electricity system operators, recommending five priority actions to accelerate the deployment of wind energy, solar energy and energy storage technologies in Canada.
How big is Canada's energy storage capacity?
Global energy storage capacity was estimated to have reached 36,735MW by the end of 2022 and is forecasted to grow to 353,880MW by 2030. Canada had 138MW of capacity in 2022 and this is expected to rise to 296MW by 2030. Listed below are the five largest energy storage projects by capacity in Canada, according to GlobalData's power database.
However, that leaves a wide gap to close to realize Canada's goals and to reach the full potential for energy storage in the country. Even the low end of the estimated potential for storage is equivalent to Manitoba's entire installed generating capacity as of 2020. Today's national installed capacity of energy storage is less than 1GW.
How much energy storage does Canada need?
Image: NRStor. Energy Storage Canada's 2022 report, Energy Storage: A Key Net Zero Pathway in Canada indicates Canada will need a minimum of 8 to 12GW of energy storage to ensure Canada achieves its 2035 goals.
There are three main types of energy storage currently commercially available in Canada: Storage is playing an increasingly important role in the electricity system by improving grid reliability and power quality, and by complementing variable renewable energy sources (VRES) like wind and solar.
Bloomberg reports exponential growth in energy- storage investment in many regions of the world, growing from zero in 2004 to $0.7B in 2014, and reaching $3.6B in 20203. In Canada, the current level of investment is not nearly enough to enable energy storage's potential to fully facilitate Canada's energy transition.
In this global context, Canada is well-placed to be a leader in the development and deployment of energy storage technologies that will drive the future of the energy sector. Canada has an abundance of natural resources, a clean electricity grid, and an established innovation ecosystem for energy.