Ontario, Canada – Kinectrics to Invest in State-of-the-Art Facility to Support Smart Grid Technologies.
Kinectrics is investing millions into the GRIDSIMPower Lab; a state-of-the-art test facility focused on testing smart grid systems, renewable energy generation equipment, and medium voltage power systems. The new facility will be located at the company’s campus headquarters in Toronto and will offer testing, certification and customer focused service for original equipment manufacturers, renewable and energy storage system developers & integrators, global utilities, and standards organizations.
“With the advent of new industry standards supporting renewable power integration onto the grid, distributed energy resource manufacturers will have to certify their parts & equipment in order to stay competitive,” said Kinectrics’ President and CEO David Harris, “In support of inverter manufacturers, Kinectrics will offer comprehensive certification services to accelerate inverters to market.”
The flexible power lab will target the testing of electrical power equipment and renewable energy storage systems over a wide range of voltages and frequencies up to 10MVA, and at fixed power levels up to 20 MVA at 60Hz. Testing and certification will be offered according to UL 1741 SA and associated source requirement documents, CSA C22.2 No. 107.1 and IEC 62109. Furthermore the lab will be designed to be as turn-key as possible with balance of equipment items including load banks, minimizing the need for ancillary equipment.
Kinectrics currently operates a medium voltage power lab which will be transformed into the multi-million dollar GRIDSIM Power Lab through the acquisition of a medium voltage grid simulator and the construction of a new dedicated feeder. The footprint of the new lab includes 2 test bays with a total area of 5,000 square feet and an available vertical height of 74 feet. The lab will be serviced with a 75 ton crane and has a strong floor ideal for large test specimens. Kinectrics has several complementary labs on site including environmental, high voltage, high current and seismic testing facilities to simulate extreme conditions if needed.
The specialized testing capabilities of the GRIDSIM Power Lab will enable manufacturers to accelerate products to market, mitigate on-site grid compliance testing and achieve safe renewable energy interconnection with the grid - as well as the potential to save developers time and cost during project commissioning. Funded in part by the Ontario Ministry of Energy’s Smart Grid Fund and Alstom, the Kinectrics GRIDSIM Power Lab will be the first of its kind in Canada and one of only few in the world – grand opening is scheduled for Spring 2019.
About Kinectrics
Kinectrics is the category leader in providing lifecycle management services for the electricity industry. Trusted by clients worldwide, our expertise in engineering, testing, inspection, and certification is backed by our independent laboratory and testing facilities, a diverse fleet of field inspection equipment and an award-winning team of over 1,100 engineers and technicalexperts. From initial design and type testing to operational deployment and maintenance services, Kinectrics collaborates closely with customers to ensure that utility assets perform safely, reliably and efficiently throughout their entire lifecycle. Learn more at www.kinectrics.com and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.