Sustainable energy sources are urgently required, as traditional non-renewable energy sources are increasing in scarcity and subsequently in cost. Significant innovation and investment is required to incorporate newly developed sustainable energy technologies into the existing energy infrastructure network. This presentation will review how emerging sustainable technologies are interacting with existing energy infrastructure. Specifically it will review the existing electrical grid in Ontario, Canada, and the impact of sustainable technologies such as electric cars and distributed generation.
When you are citing the document, use the following link http://essuir.sumdu.edu.ua/handle/123456789/3107

Dutka, J.

SocioEconomic Challenges Journal (Sumy State University)

THE IMPACT OF EMERGING SUSTAINABLE 
TECHNOLOGIES ON EXISTING ELECTRICAL 
INFRASTRUCTURE IN ONTARIO 
 
Jeremy Dutka 
Toronto, Canada 
 
Sustainable energy sources are urgently required, as traditional non-
renewable energy sources are increasing in scarcity and subsequently in cost. 
Significant innovation and investment is required to incorporate newly developed 
sustainable energy technologies into the existing energy infrastructure network. 
This presentation will review how emerging sustainable technologies are 
interacting with existing energy infrastructure. Specifically it will review the 
existing electrical grid in Ontario, Canada, and the impact of sustainable 
technologies such as electric cars and distributed generation.  
Through the past two hundred years the world has seen unprecedented 
economic growth with the onset of the industrial revolution. This growth was 
sustained through increased dependance on non-renewable resources, first with 
coal, then moving into oil and gas. Typically very little attention was paid to the 
long term sustainability of the dependance on low cost energy, it was simply 
known that where low cost energy was available, industry was able to flourish. As 
these resources have been depleted, the costs to gather and transport energy has 
increased, making the cost of production higher. This has driven innovation to 
develop ways to conserve and create energy resources. One major innovation to 
reduce the use of petrol as a fuel is the development of the electric car, while 
another major innovation is the small scale gathering of energy from renewable 
53% 
19% 
28% 
Age Distribution of Assets 
Equipment Prior to End of Life
Equipment That Will Reach End of Life by 2021
Equipment Past End of Life
resources such as solar and wind. Both of these innovations reduce dependance on 
traditional energy sources, but put unique stresses on the existing energy 
infrastructure that has been constructed over the past 100 years. 
In the province of Ontario, a large portion of the existing public 
infrastructure, including electrical infrastructure, was installed during the post war 
boom in the 1950's and 1960's. This was an era of abundant government spending 
and prosperity as the world rebuilt from the travesties of war. Once the 
infrastructure was installed, the infrastructure was allowed to run with minimal 
additional investment. The low cost of running new infrastructure was reflected in 
the taxes and energy costs provided to the people of Ontario. The government 
developed a monetary policy based on the maintenance needs of the existing 
infrastructure installed, and accounted for minimal capital investment. While the 
infrastructure was relatively young, this policy provided maximum benefit to the 
consumers, but set the system on unstable footings for future years. 'Ontario 
Investment in Public Infrastructure' shows government investments in public 
infrastructure over three time periods (Fagan, 2012). The dollar amounts take into 
account depreciation of the physical assets. Between 1975 and 2000 the amount of 
capital investment was less than the cost of depreciation of the assets in service, 
resulting in a negative investment. This trend is highlighted in 'Age Distribution of 
Assets', which shows the age of physical assets installed in Toronto, owned the 
local distribution company Toronto Hydro-Electric System (Toronto Hydro 
Corporation, 2012). 
The majority of the public infrastructure had minimal capital investment 
between 1975 and 2000, thus much of the system is currently utilizing technology 
that is from the 1950's and 1960's. In addition to the antiquated technology, the 
amount of energy that could be transported through the infrastructure was built 
(20)
(10)
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
1956-1975 1975-2000 2001-2011
D
o
ll
a
r 
A
m
o
u
n
t 
In
v
es
te
d
 -
 (
B
il
li
o
n
s 
C
A
D
) 
Years 
Ontario Investment in Public Infrastructure - 2002 Base 
Year 
based on growth projects from the 1950's and 1960's. These projections were based 
on the socioeconomic climate of the time and were intended to be utilized until the 
end of of the equipment life. As shown in 'Age Distribution of Assets', much of the 
equipment is at, or nearing, end of useful life. Growth rates and patterns have also 
changed since the initial predictions were done, most notably with the high rise 
boom in the late 1970's and then again in the 2000's. Areas that once were low-
energy use industrial areas have become vast high rise complexes that consumer 
incredible amounts of energy. In addition to the aging equipment and change in 
growth patterns, innovations and technological advances have put stresses on the 
electrical infrastructure that were never imagined. Electric cars are being 
introduced onto the grid, which add a load equivalent of a typical residential 
customer. This changes the energy usage patterns and may affect the long term life 
of assets due to the increased usage.  
Technology has advanced to the point where individual consumers are able to 
purchase an install equipment that harnesses energy from renewable resources such 
as solar and wind. These customers are then able to input power into the grid as 
well as use it when required. The electrical grid was initially set up to have power 
flow in one direction, from the main generation plant, through the sub-stations to 
the consumers. Now there are many tiny generation points across the electrical grid 
inputing small amounts of electricity back into the electrical grid at various times. 
This is known as distributed generation. 
To replace the failing infrastructure, modernize the existing infrastructure and 
maintain reliability, electrical distribution corporations have increased their capital 
budgets, as shown in 'THESL Capital Budget' (Toronto Hydro Corporation, 2011). 
This increases the cost of energy to the consumer, but is essential to allow for 
innovation and sustainable power.  
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012* 2013* 2014*
M
il
li
o
n
s
 C
A
D
 
Budget Year based on the 2012 Rate Filing (*Predicted) 
Toronto Hydro-Electric System Limited Capital 
Budget 
Without changes and modernization of the existing electrical infrastructure, 
emerging sustainable energy innovations will not be able to be utilized to their full 
potential.  
 
References: 
1. Fagan, D. (2012) Building Together - Ontario's 10 Year Infrastructure Plan, 
presented at OSPE Policy Series - Big Engineering, Ontario Society of 
Professional Engineers, June 20, 2012. 
2. Torontohydro.com (2012) Facts and Figures | Toronto Hydro Corporation. 
[online] Available at: 
http://www.torontohydro.com/sites/corporate/LearnMore/Pages/FactsandFigures.as
px [Accessed: 31 Mar 2013]. 
3. Torontohydro.com (2011) Summary of Capital Budget. [e-book] p. 5. Available 
through: Toronto Hydro 2012 EDR Filing 
http://www.torontohydro.com/sites/electricsystem/Documents/2012EDR/D1_T08_
S01.pdf [Accessed: March 28, 2013]. 
 
Економіка для екології: матеріали XIX Міжнародної наукової 
конференції, м. Суми, 30 квітня – 3 травня 2013 р. / редкол.: Д. О. 
Смоленніков, М. С. Шкурат. – Суми : Сумський державний 
університет, 2013. – C. 39-42. 


The impact of emerging sustainable technologies on existing electrical infrastructure in Ontario

Electronic Sumy State University Institutional Repository

THE IMPACT OF EMERGING SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGIES ON EXISTING ELECTRICAL INFRASTRUCTURE IN ONTARIO  Jeremy Dutka Toronto, Canada  Sustainable energy sources are urgently required, as traditional non-renewable energy sources are increasing in scarcity and subsequently in cost. Significant innovation and investment is required to incorporate newly developed sustainable energy technologies into the existing energy infrastructure network. This presentation will review how emerging sustainable technologies are interacting with existing energy infrastructure. Specifically it will review the existing electrical grid in Ontario, Canada, and the impact of sustainable technologies such as electric cars and distributed generation.  Through the past two hundred years the world has seen unprecedented economic growth with the onset of the industrial revolution. This growth was sustained through increased dependance on non-renewable resources, first with coal, then moving into oil and gas. Typically very little attention was paid to the long term sustainability of the dependance on low cost energy, it was simply known that where low cost energy was available, industry was able to flourish. As these resources have been depleted, the costs to gather and transport energy has increased, making the cost of production higher. This has driven innovation to develop ways to conserve and create energy resources. One major innovation to reduce the use of petrol as a fuel is the development of the electric car, while another major innovation is the small scale gathering of energy from renewable 53% 19% 28% Age Distribution of Assets Equipment Prior to End of LifeEquipment That Will Reach End of Life by 2021Equipment Past End of Liferesources such as solar and wind. Both of these innovations reduce dependance on traditional energy sources, but put unique stresses on the existing energy infrastructure that has been constructed over the past 100 years. In the province of Ontario, a large portion of the existing public infrastructure, including electrical infrastructure, was installed during the post war boom in the 1950's and 1960's. This was an era of abundant government spending and prosperity as the world rebuilt from the travesties of war. Once the infrastructure was installed, the infrastructure was allowed to run with minimal additional investment. The low cost of running new infrastructure was reflected in the taxes and energy costs provided to the people of Ontario. The government developed a monetary policy based on the maintenance needs of the existing infrastructure installed, and accounted for minimal capital investment. While the infrastructure was relatively young, this policy provided maximum benefit to the consumers, but set the system on unstable footings for future years. 'Ontario Investment in Public Infrastructure' shows government investments in public infrastructure over three time periods (Fagan, 2012). The dollar amounts take into account depreciation of the physical assets. Between 1975 and 2000 the amount of capital investment was less than the cost of depreciation of the assets in service, resulting in a negative investment. This trend is highlighted in 'Age Distribution of Assets', which shows the age of physical assets installed in Toronto, owned the local distribution company Toronto Hydro-Electric System (Toronto Hydro Corporation, 2012). The majority of the public infrastructure had minimal capital investment between 1975 and 2000, thus much of the system is currently utilizing technology that is from the 1950's and 1960's. In addition to the antiquated technology, the amount of energy that could be transported through the infrastructure was built (20)(10)0102030405060701956-1975 1975-2000 2001-2011Dollar Amount Invested - (Billions CAD) Years Ontario Investment in Public Infrastructure - 2002 Base Year based on growth projects from the 1950's and 1960's. These projections were based on the socioeconomic climate of the time and were intended to be utilized until the end of of the equipment life. As shown in 'Age Distribution of Assets', much of the equipment is at, or nearing, end of useful life. Growth rates and patterns have also changed since the initial predictions were done, most notably with the high rise boom in the late 1970's and then again in the 2000's. Areas that once were low-energy use industrial areas have become vast high rise complexes that consumer incredible amounts of energy. In addition to the aging equipment and change in growth patterns, innovations and technological advances have put stresses on the electrical infrastructure that were never imagined. Electric cars are being introduced onto the grid, which add a load equivalent of a typical residential customer. This changes the energy usage patterns and may affect the long term life of assets due to the increased usage.  Technology has advanced to the point where individual consumers are able to purchase an install equipment that harnesses energy from renewable resources such as solar and wind. These customers are then able to input power into the grid as well as use it when required. The electrical grid was initially set up to have power flow in one direction, from the main generation plant, through the sub-stations to the consumers. Now there are many tiny generation points across the electrical grid inputing small amounts of electricity back into the electrical grid at various times. This is known as distributed generation. To replace the failing infrastructure, modernize the existing infrastructure and maintain reliability, electrical distribution corporations have increased their capital budgets, as shown in 'THESL Capital Budget' (Toronto Hydro Corporation, 2011). This increases the cost of energy to the consumer, but is essential to allow for innovation and sustainable power.  01002003004005006007002008 2009 2010 2011 2012* 2013* 2014*Millions CAD Budget Year based on the 2012 Rate Filing (*Predicted) Toronto Hydro-Electric System Limited Capital Budget Without changes and modernization of the existing electrical infrastructure, emerging sustainable energy innovations will not be able to be utilized to their full potential.   References: 1. Fagan, D. (2012) Building Together - Ontario's 10 Year Infrastructure Plan, presented at OSPE Policy Series - Big Engineering, Ontario Society of Professional Engineers, June 20, 2012. 2. Torontohydro.com (2012) Facts and Figures | Toronto Hydro Corporation. [online] Available at: http://www.torontohydro.com/sites/corporate/LearnMore/Pages/FactsandFigures.aspx [Accessed: 31 Mar 2013]. 3. Torontohydro.com (2011) Summary of Capital Budget. [e-book] p. 5. Available through: Toronto Hydro 2012 EDR Filing http://www.torontohydro.com/sites/electricsystem/Documents/2012EDR/D1_T08_S01.pdf [Accessed: March 28, 2013].  Економіка для екології: матеріали XIX Міжнародної наукової конференції, м. Суми, 30 квітня – 3 травня 2013 р. / редкол.: Д. О. Смоленніков, М. С. Шкурат. – Суми : Сумський державний університет, 2013. – C. 39-42. 

https://essuir.sumdu.edu.ua/bitstream/123456789/31073/1/Dutka%20J._non-renewable%20resources.pdf

The impact of emerging sustainable technologies on existing electrical infrastructure in Ontario

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SocioEconomic Challenges Journal (Sumy State University)

Electronic Sumy State University Institutional Repository