Location: Eastern Canada
Temporal Power
Flywheel Energy Storage
“With thorough project management and smart engineering by the Angus team, they have been able to condense the schedule and, at the same time, lower our costs.”
— Geoff Osborne, Senior Associate, NRStor
HH Angus and Associates was engaged to provide the detailed electrical engineering and construction management of this flywheel energy storage project at Temporal Power’s Minto facility near Harriston, ON. Flywheel-based energy storage systems do not use fossil fuel and do not produce CO2 or other harmful emissions during operation.
Our electrical team provided consulting engineering to connect Temporal Power’s nominally 2MW of flywheel energy to (and from) the grid at distribution voltage, as well as commissioning of the site.
Grid frequency regulation is required by the IESO in the area northwest of Guelph because of fluctuating electrical load and generation; 2 MW of flywheel capacity can act as a sink or a source of electricity to stabilize frequency.
The vulnerability of the electrical grid and distribution service, as evidenced in the December 2013 ice storm that affected predominantly Ontario, Quebec and the Northeast US, is giving impetus to the move to smart grids, distributed power and storage systems. The Temporal Power facility serves to balance the system frequency, thereby reducing the need to have a more expensive and less responsive generating plant performing that function.
Each of the ten 250 KW flywheels in the plant weighs about 4000 kilos and spins at up to 11,000 RPM.The flywheels operate through five 480V inverters (ie, two flywheels per inverter, with one redundant unit). HH Angus designed and supplied the system that converts the local grid distribution voltage of 44,000V through 347/600V to 480V (and vice versa). In terms of interconnecting to the grid, this is very much like a generator project in that it does ‘generate’ 2MW when requested as frequency is decreasing. But it can also absorb energy when the grid frequency is ‘speeding up’.
SERVICES
Electrical Engineering | Site Commissioning
PROJECT FEATURES
Status: Completed 2014
LOCATION
Harriston, Ontario
KEY SCOPE ELEMENTS
Detailed electrical engineering and construction management of flywheel energy storage project | 2 MW of flywheel energy to/from the grid | EPC through Angus Power | Flywheel technology balances system frequency 10 X 250kW flywheels
Engineer
Procure
Construct
This was a substantial EPC project that married the electrical engineering capacity of HH Angus’ grid connection specialists with the project and risk management experience of our Angus Power team.
Hatherley Solar
250kW Photo Voltaic Installation
HH Angus provided full EPC services for this system, including electrical design, panel layout, structural review, component procurement and the installation of the system, commissioning and connection to the grid.
Hatherley Solar is a 250 kW, 36,000 ft2 rooftop solar PV project atop two industrial buildings at the Parry Sound airport in Ontario.
This project received an Ontario FIT contract, and at the time, was the largest solar installation in the Muskoka region, with over 1000 modules on two steel-roof buildings, feeding over 325,000kW hours to the Ontario power grid annually.
SERVICES
Project Design | Project Management
PROJECT FEATURES
Size: 36,000 ft2 Status: Completed 2014
LOCATION
Parry Sound, Ontario
KEY SCOPE ELEMENTS
Ontarian FIT contract | Largest solar installation in the Muskoka region | Feeds over 325,000kw hours to the Ontario power grid annually
Uber
Toronto Headquarters
In contrast to its forward looking and high tech business model, when Uber Canada was looking for office space in Toronto, they chose to set up shop in an old Post and Beam building in an historic area of the city.
HH Angus’ tenant group was engaged to provide mechanical and electrical consulting engineering to the 14,000 ft2 office fitout project.
As with many Post and Beam fitouts, one of the key challenges for the M&E systems designers was the client’s strong focus on maintaining the aesthetic of the building’s original character. This presents an engineering challenge when the interior design for the open concept collaboration spaces requires the major mechanical and electrical services to be exposed.
The solution to the aesthetics challenge was to have all equipment selections made to compliment the open concept and character of the building.
SERVICES
Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering
PROJECT FEATURES
Size: 14,000 ft2 | Status: Completed 2014
LOCATION
Toronto, Ontario
KEY SCOPE ELEMENTS
Special focus on open concept aesthetics with exposed mechanical and electrical services
Toronto Zoo
Wildlife Health Centre
The Toronto Zoo’s Wildlife Health Centre provides customized care for more than 5,000 animals, representing almost 500 species. HH Angus’ scope of work included the design of the new state-of-the-art animal hospital, laboratory services and research centre.
Special mechanical and electrical design considerations were required for design of the holding pens and keeper areas for a wide array of species, such as hoofed animals, strong mammals, amphibians, reptiles, avian, aquatic, etc. These considerations include lighting suitable for each species, specialized air distribution, and environmental controls.
The project included operating rooms and other animal treatment rooms built to meet or exceed current animal environmental standards for groups such as the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC), the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).
Just as important were the spaces designed for the support laboratories, and the research laboratories specifically for animal conservation. The remainder of the building houses support spaces for nutritionists, veterinarians and researchers.
SERVICES
Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering | Lighting Design
PROJECT FEATURES
Size: 34,000 ft2 | Status: Completed 2014
LOCATION
Toronto, Ontario
KEY SCOPE ELEMENTS
Animal treatment rooms met or exceeded current animal environmental standards for CCAC, OMAFRA and AZA | Support laboratories | Research laboratories for animal conservation | Energy-efficient equipment for chiller and boilers
Complex phasing of services
During construction, the program required complex phasing of the mechanical and electrical systems, during which measures such as temporary air handling, re-routing of main communications cabling and heating lines were required. Existing systems were expanded to accommodate the complex demands of a modern animal hospital and research centre.
Specifying energy efficient equipment
Where new equipment was required, energy-efficient selections were specified, including magnetic bearing chillers, variable speed motors, and high efficiency condensing heating boilers.
Casino Rama
Power Infrastructure Upgrade
“The installation of protective electric equipment designed and specified by HH Angus is working amazingly, and has afforded us the confidence that we no longer need to pre-start all three of our 1 MW generators during every looming lightening storm”.
— John Haley, Director of Engineering and EVS Casino Rama
Casino Rama features over 2,500 state-of-the-art electronic gaming machines. The popular facility is owned by the Chippewa’s of Rama First Nation and the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation. It welcomes over three million visitors annually.
Because power quality issues occasionally damaged sensitive electronics in gaming machines, Casino Rama gave HH Angus a mandate to find a solution that would protect equipment while minimizing games downtime, as well as shutdowns required to implement the solution.
HH Angus analyzed Casino Rama’s existing power distribution systems, critical loads, plans for future electrical load growth, and building infrastructure, including available service space and mechanical infrastructure.
A number of recommendations were presented, with varying degrees of risk mitigation and cost. Casino Rama opted for a 1.2 MW centralized uninterruptible power supply (UPS) for the portion of the existing emergency generator powered distribution system dedicated to their electronic gaming machines.
In addition to providing protection against power quality disturbances, the centralized UPS provides gamers with an uninterrupted playing experience during a utility power outage. The UPS bridges the gap between the onset of a utility power outage and the time it takes the onsite 3 MW emergency generators to come online and support the critical loads.
Implementing the centralized UPS system had its own unique challenges. Available service space had to be identified. The system had to be integrated with the facility’s electrical system in a way that minimized the time required for machine shut-downs and tie-ins. Additional air conditioning units were provided to ensure that the stipulated ambient temperatures were maintained. Structural reinforcement was also needed to ensure the floor slab could support the added weight of the battery banks. All these requirements had to be taken into account when designing the project.
SERVICES
Prime Consultant | Electrical Engineering
PROJECT FEATURES
Status: Completed 2012
LOCATION
Orillia, Ontario
KEY SCOPE ELEMENTS
1.2 MW central UPS dedicated to 2500+ gaming machines | Power distribution analysis | Integration with existing electrical system | Eliminated power quality issues
Zero Power Quality Issues
Since the installation of the centralized UPS system, Casino Rama has had no power quality incidents affecting their sensitive electronic gaming machines. In addition, electrical distribution fault-related downtime has been eliminated, resulting in a substantial reduction in annual maintenance costs.
Quote source: Casino Rama hires HHA to help with power infrastructure
— Photos courtesy of WZMH Architects