WELCOME TO GRIDSMART CITY
A partnership of Burlington Hydro
and both municipal and provincial levels
of government — along with vital contributions from the industrial sector —
recently gave birth to GridSmartCity.
The Ontario Minister of Energy and
Infrastructure, George Smitherman
joined Burlington Mayor Cam Jackson
and Burlington Hydro Electric Inc. in the
official launch of GridSmartCity. The
concept allows a wide range of stakeholders from industry to government to
work together to promote the growth of
smart grids.
The new program will showcase
how smart grids integrate electricity production, and delivery and consumption to
produce a more efficient, reliable and
responsive system that is better for the
environment.
GridSmartCity partners will collaborate on smart grid projects to illustrate
new technologies. These projects will
help to fuel the growth of innovative
green industries. Smart grid technologies, combined with advanced communications and computer analytics, will aid
greater use of renewable ‘Green Energy’
sources from the sun, wind and devices
such as electric vehicles.
“Smart grid development in Ontario
will help build a greener electricity sys-
(From left to right) Burlington Mayor Cam Jackson, Ontario Deputy Premier and Minister
of Energy and Infrastructure, George Smitherman, and Burlington Hydro Inc. President and
CEO, David Collie at the inaugural partnership launch of GridSmartCity recently in
Burlingon, Ontario. The photo was captured on the rooftop of the host venue for the event,
Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC), a founding member of GridSmartCity. In the background is Canada’s first installation of Menova Energy’s innovative Power-Spar solar panel
array which concentrates the sun’s energy to generate electricity, thermal energy for use as
heat & hot water, and lighting for everyday and emergency use. Menova Energy is also a
founding GridSmartCity member, as is its affiliated energy generation solution company
RESCo.
tem by making it easier to integrate
increasing amounts of renewable energy
into the electricity grid, and enabling new
conservation technologies,” said George
Smitherman, Deputy Premier and
Minister of Energy and Infrastructure.
“With GridSmartCity, Ontario has a
model that will help our province reach
its aspirations for a cleaner, greener energy supply while leading the cutting edge
of the green economy.”
“Energy, its availability, reliability,
and price are key factors in attracting
investment and building and retaining
industry,” said Cam Jackson, Mayor of
Burlington. “Burlington Hydro’s leader-
