$500,000 and $6,000,000 Energy Innovation Program for Canada

Deadline: 10-Jan-24

The Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) is seeking proposals for the Demonstration Focus Area under Energy Innovation Program Smart Grid to support innovative technology and grid system demonstrations.

The Energy Innovation Program’s Smart Grid call for proposals will provide support to the key technological, market, and regulatory innovations that address barriers to scaling pilot projects into gridwide deployments.

The Demonstration Focus Area will provide support to projects which demonstrate innovation in smart grid technologies/solutions, and market or contract mechanisms (innovations may be jurisdiction specific).

Demonstration Focus Area

• Specifically, the objectives of this focus area are to:
  • Accelerate grid modernization to better utilize the capacity of existing electricity assets; increase the reliability, resiliency, and flexibility of the power system; and increase the penetration of distributed energy resources.
  • Improve customer accessibility of grid-integrated solutions which provide more affordable energy and lower total greenhouse gas emissions.
  • Sufficiently represent a given electric system to meaningfully inform future deployment considerations.
  • Address well-defined market gaps with a proposal to build business solutions.
  • Advance inclusivity, diversity, equity, and accessibility (IDEA) in the electricity sector.
• Mandatory criteria:
  • Involve the electricity distribution system
  • Share knowledge and insights to enhance public awareness

Funding Information

• Program funding for this call is open to projects that request between $500,000 and $6,000,000 (comprising up to 50% of total project costs).
• Duration: 4 Years

Eligible Activities

• Examples of eligible activities include, but are not limited to:
  • Innovation in smart grid technologies/solutions, and/or market or contract mechanisms (innovation may be specific to your jurisdiction).
  • Alterations to existing processes, equipment, or systems to integrate innovative technologies or methods.
  • Engineering, design, and permitting of the installations mentioned above.
  • Operational testing, performance analysis, and evaluation of pre-commercial equipment in its intended environment to gauge the efficacy of an innovation.

Eligibility Criteria

• Demonstration projects must address technological or market challenges by validating and deploying pre-commercial technologies and/or market concepts. Projects as a whole should aim for Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) of between 5 and 8.
• The call is open to the following eligible Canadians:
  • Legal entities validly incorporated or registered in Canada including:
    • For profit and not-for-profit organizations;
    • Community groups; and
    • Canadian academic institutions.
  • Provincial, territorial, regional, and municipal governments and their departments and agencies, where applicable.
  • Indigenous
    • Indigenous communities or governments;
    • Tribal Councils or entities that fulfill a similar function (e.g., general councils);
    • National and regional councils, and tribal organizations;
    • Indigenous (majority owned and controlled by Indigenous people) for-profit and not-for-profit organizations.
• For the purposes of this Applicant Guide, the term “Indigenous” is understood to include Inuit, Métis, First Nation, Status Indian and non-Status Indian individuals, or any combination thereof.
• It is expected that the proponent, i.e., the entity that will sign a contribution agreement with Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), will be the majority owner of any assets purchased in full or in part through funding provided by NRCan.

For more information, visit  Natural Resources Canada (NRCan).