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Hydro project could be boon to business, environment Continued from pg. 1 "Software will be used to judge when the best time to charge is, and will judge when is the best time to discharge, optimizing the financial efficiency of this thing," said Guatto. The system was designed and installed by Mississauga-based BET Services Inc., while Angus GeoSolutions Inc. of Georgetown created the software that manages charging and discharging. Guatto said they believe the load shifting project is the first of its kind anywhere using sodium nickel chloride batteries, which he explained are not environmentally hazardous, can be used indoors, and are recyclable. The batteries have a total output of 100-kilowatt hours, but can be scaled up to onemegawatt hour, or higher. The project was developed through the utility's conservation and demand management program, which Guatto said was mandated by the provincial government "to create a culture of (energy) conservation" in Ontario. "We'd like to manage it (the load shifting project) with both efficiency of the technology in mind, and the status of the market price in mind to achieve the highest savings in energy costs," said Guatto. "We believe this can be scaled up dramatically to create even greater shifting of the load to off-peak hours." "It could be scaled up or scaled down to fit any load," said Guatto, who believes the system could eventually be adapted for residential use. "We hope to make a big opportunity out of it. There's value for the environment and for the business that would use such a system," said Guatto. "It's one technology that can help to improve the way electricity is used in Ontario." Over the next couple of months Guatto said they want to determine the true costs of implementing the project and how much savings could be realized with the hope of marketing the system through one of HHHI's affiliate companies, such as Southwestern Energy Inc., to commercial and utilities customers. He said there has already been interest from both those sectors in the project. Both the Ontario Power Authority and the Independent Electricty System are watching the Acton test to see if it could be more broadly implemented to relieve transmission bottlenecks during peak times. The idea of storing electric power in batteries on a utility scale has been dismissed over the years because of high cost and lack of adequate technologies in the market. Guatto said he's convinced the Zebra batteries could buck the trend. The problem is volume. If 100,000 Zebra batteries can be manufactured annually out of a single plant, the economics become attractive. But currently the ZEBRA batteries, a total of 2,000 annually, are only manufactured in one facility located in Switzerland. HHHI has looked at licensing the technology from MES-DA, the Swiss company that owns the technology and facility where the batteries are manufactured, with an eye to establishing a North American manufacturing operation for large-scale production. A preliminary business plan estimated the facility would cost $117 million over five years, creating 900 new jobs by 2015 and a venture with $275 million in annual sales. --With files from Torstar News Service (Lisa Tallyn can be reached at ltallyn@independentfreepress.com) Halton Hills Hydro Inc. is launching an energy storage project this week that uses large ZEBRA batteries, shown here with the utility's president Dan Guatto, to store electrical energy bought at non-peak nighttime hours to be used throughout peak daytime hours. Photo by Ted Brown Acton roads to see improvement this year Acton roads will be the beneficiaries this year of the pavement management program funded by an annual two-per cent dedicated tax. Graham Bros. Construction Ltd. of Brampton was awarded the $830,000 contract at a recent council meeting . The streets included in the contract are: · Bower St., from Willow St. to Mill St. · Willow St., from Bower to River Sts. · St. Alban's Dr., from Main to Willow Sts. · Acton Blvd., from Mill St. East to north of McDonald Blvd. · McDonald Blvd., from Churchill Rd. to Division St. · Norman Ave., from Division St. to Churchill Rd. ·George St., from Mill St. to Arthur St. · Cedar St., from Churchill to Somerville Rd. Construction is expected to begin in midJuly with completion by late October. The work will vary but will generally include asphalt replacement, drainage improvements, curb and structure repairs and landscaping as required. The pavement management project is a five-year program designed to improve the condition of local roads. It is solely funded by taxpayers through a dedicated two per cent tax increase on property tax bills from 2004 until 2008. Report indicates country roads a haven for speeders MELANIE HENNESSEY Special to The IFP It appears that rural roads in north Halton continue to be a haven for speeders. According to the 2005 State of the Regional Road System Report presented to the Region's planning and public works committee last Wednesday, at least half a dozen segments of local rural roads made Halton's top 20 list of high-speed locations. They include: · Winston Churchill Blvd., 500 metres north of Hwy. 7 · Winston Churchill Blvd., between 5 and 10 Sideroads · Regional Rd. 25, 500m south of 32 Sideroad · No. 20 Sideroad, west of Guelph Line. · Guelph Line, north of Steeles Avenue. · Derry Road, east of Milburough Line. · Tremaine Road, north of Britannia Road. Region staff has explained before that speeding is predominant in the rural area because there are no indicators on rural roads for drivers to slow down, like parked cars or curbs. The report also reveals that the majority of drivers in Halton are traveling between five and 20 km/h over the posted limits and the number of motorists who break the speed limit by more than 35 km/h has increased from zero per cent in 2004 to .5 per cent in 2005. The document goes on to point out that traffic congestion, particularly along the east-west corridors in south Halton, continues to be problematic. "Regional roads in south Halton such as Dundas Street and Upper Middle Road are experiencing levels of severe congestion during the peak periods," the report says. "In north Halton, parts of Derry Road, Steeles Avenue, Ninth Line, Winston Churchill Boulevard and Regional Road 25 are experiencing moderate levels of congestion." On a more positive note, it indicates that about 71 per cent of the regional road system pavement is considered to be in satisfactory or good condition. The report also analyzes Community Safety Zones, which have increased fines for speeding, that have been set up on Maple Avenue in Georgetown and Guelph Line in Brookville. It concludes that the measure has "little or no effect when it comes to dictating an appropriate speed within these zones." At the committee meeting, Burlington Councillor John Taylor argued that the Community Safety Zones don't work. He said that there's no proof that doubling fines results in a significant reduction in speeders. "It's nothing more than a cash grab," he said. Despite Taylor's argument, the committee went on to support maintaining the zones on Guelph Line and Maple Avenue. The matter will go before regional council today (Wednesday).