TOP-SET Seminar: Solar and batteries – Designs and benefits at commercial facilities
An NSERC CREATE TOP-SET Seminar with Joan Haysom, J.L. Richards & Associates Ltd.
Jan 15, 2024 — 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
A seminar on the design and benefits of solar energy and batteries for commercial installations.
Event details
Abstract: Solar is a very predictable annual energy supply that can be deployed at all scales, from 5 kW residential systems through to 100 MW+ utility-scale farms. The present market and regulatory environment in Ontario has little support for the smallest or largest systems, but systems at the commercial building scale (100 to 1000 kW), installed in a “behind-the-meter” and/or “net-metered” configuration are practical and financially attractive. Solar deployments support carbon reduction goals and have a role in peak demand reduction. Batteries are not required for solar system implementation, however battery energy storage systems offer similar and complementary benefits. Details of the best configurations depend on rates structures, regulations, incentives, and secondary facility goals, such as resiliency. Case studies from solar & battery deployments at municipal facilities, water treatment and industrial complexes, including for Class A electricity consumers, and in new construction of net zero carbon/energy buildings will be discussed.
Guest speaker
Joan Haysom
J.L. Richards & Associates, Ltd.
Joan has a BASc in Engineering Physics from Queen's University and a PhD in Physics from the University of Ottawa. She spent the first dozen years of her career in consulting and R&D of semiconductor integrated circuits patents, light emitting devices, and optoelectronic integration at Group IV Semiconductor, Bookham Technologies, Nortel Networks, and Chipworks. She made a switch to renewable energy around 2010 and has been in applied R&D project management and engineering consulting since. During the past five years, Joan led the initiation and growth of the Innovative Energy Market at J.L. Richards (JLR), supporting clients across a breadth of renewable energy, energy storage and building decarbonization projects. In addition to her role at JLR, Joan is on the advisory board of the Ottawa Climate Action Fund (one of seven Low Carbon Cities Canada centres), is a long-time member of the Ottawa Renewable Energy Cooperative, is an adjunct professor with University of Ottawa’s SUNLAB solar research group, and at home has solar, battery, air source heat pump, a PHEV and an EV.

Funding
This seminar is funded by the University of Ottawa.