Nova Scotia Power Smart Grid Advisory Support

Supporting the evolution of Nova Scotia’s electricity grid with strategic and technical expertise

  • Client

    Nova Scotia Power

  • Year

    2023-2024

  • Region
    • North America (USA-Canada)
  • Service
    • Market Insights
    • Program Evaluation
    • Portfolio Planning and Design
    • Non-Energy Benefits (NEBs) Identification and Evaluation
  • Countries

    Canada

  • Provinces

    Nova Scotia

  • Sector
    • Utilities
Econoler

The transition to a cleaner electricity system is not just about adding solar panels, electric vehicles, and battery storage. A major challenge for utilities is integrating an increasing number of distributed energy resources (DER) into the grid, as well as managing these DERs in real time while maintaining grid reliability and keeping electricity affordable.

Nova Scotia Power’s Smart Grid pilot was designed to address this challenge by integrating multiple DERs through a Distributed Energy Resource Management System (DERMS).

The Smart Grid pilot was more than a technology trial—it’s a laboratory for innovation, exploring how solar gardens, EV chargers, battery storage, and demand response can work together seamlessly. Making the grid smarter and more modern electricity grid can have tangible benefits for ratepayers, such fewer outages, lower electricity costs, and cleaner energy.

Mandate

Econoler is proud to have provided strategic guidance and technical expertise to support the Pilot.

Guiding Strategy, Measuring Impact

To make strategic decisions and maximize the Pilot’s value, Nova Scotia Power sought support from Econoler. Our mandate was designed to tackle this challenge from two angles: strategy and technical expertise.

We supported Nova Scotia Power in two major ways.

1- Strategic advisory – supporting Nova Scotia Power in defining its Smart Grid strategy by drawing lessons from leading jurisdictions across Canada and the U.S.

Econoler examined:

  • How regulatory frameworks enable Smart Grid deployment.
  • How investments are justified.
  • Which value streams—in addition to reducing rate pressure—can support smart grid investments.
  • Common practices and lessons around behind-the-meter DER asset ownership.
  • Best practices and lessons learned from similar pilots elsewhere.

2- Technical expertise for evaluation – ensuring the pilot’s impacts were clearly measured and understood, including:

  • Reviewing Nova Scotia Power’s assumptions on value streams and benefits to both the utility and customers.
  • Assessing evaluation approaches and baseline assumptions.
  • Addressing concerns and expectations raised by regulators and stakeholders to ensure robust, actionable insights.

By combining strategic insight with technical rigor, Econoler helped Nova Scotia Power connect the dots between innovation, regulation, and real-world outcomes.

Our Approach To Unlock Pilot Value

1 – Research on Best Practices

To provide Nova Scotia Power with actionable guidance, Econoler analyzed what works—and why—beyond Nova Scotia. We approached the solution with a mix of comparative research, direct engagement, and technical evaluation, ensuring our recommendations were grounded in best practices.

Key activities included:

  • Conducting a literature review of leading jurisdictions in Canada and the U.S., identifying the objectives, technologies, and evaluation approaches of Smart Grid and DERMS projects.
  • Interviewing program administrators to understand how benefits are measured, how DER assets are owned and managed, and which lessons could be applied in Nova Scotia.
  • Converting lessons learned and successes from other jurisdictions into tangible recommendations applicable to Nova Scotia Power’s Smart Grid pilot.

2- Measuring Meaningful Impacts

To complement the strategic insights, Econoler also provided hands-on technical expertise to ensure the pilot’s benefits were measurable and meaningful:

  • Reviewing assumptions on value streams provided by Nova Scotia Power.
  • Assessing evaluation methods and baseline assumptions to validate accuracy.
  • Incorporating stakeholder and regulator perspectives to produce a robust, credible analysis of the pilot’s outcomes.

This dual approach — strategic and technical — ensured Nova Scotia Power had the information and quantification of impacts to make informed decisions about its Smart Grid strategy moving forward.

A Smarter, More Resilient Energy Future

Grid-modernization initiatives are essential to managing the growing share of solar, electric vehicles, and battery storage on today’s electricity systems. By combining these resources with advanced demand response and control platforms, utilities can operate more flexible, efficient, and reliable grids that respond dynamically to changing conditions and evolving customer needs.

For customers, smarter grids mean more consistent and higher quality service, better access to clean energy, and lower electricity costs. For utilities, such pilot initiatives can provide practical insights and data needed to inform large-scale deployment of smart grid solutions and deliver meaningful system benefits.

What’s Next?

Looking ahead, the insights gained from the pilot will guide the next phase of Nova Scotia’s grid transformation.

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