The High-Frequency Electricity Data (HFED) visualization tool was recently launched on the Canadian Centre for Energy Information (CCEI) website. Depending on data availability, this tool provides users with comprehensive access to provincial electricity data for a number of variables (such as load, demand, and generation), and in near real-time.
Let’s have a look at some specific electricity events, and how they showed up in the data. All times listed are local.
Total eclipse on the part (of the grid)
Ontario’s diurnal (daytime-focused) demand is characterized by a distinct ‘dip’ between the morning and evening peaks on a typical day. However, the province, home to more than one-third of the nationwide population in the path of totality, saw a sharp peak in demand during the afternoon of the eclipse on April 8, 2024.
As the eclipse unfolded, solar generation—which contributes to supply in certain locations and is not connected to the overall grid—dropped by nearly 1,600 megawatts (MW) at 3:25 p.m., according to the provincial electricity system operator. Ontario’s electricity systems ramped up hydro and natural gas generation compensate for the shortfall. The HFED tool shows how demand increased to 15,930 MW at 3:00 p.m., compared with 12,514 MW on the day preceding the eclipse and 13,886 MW on the day following the eclipse.
The blackout
Speaking of Ontario—if you were there at the time, you’ll definitely remember when most of the province was plunged into darkness shortly after 4 p.m. on August 14, 2003, along with much of the northeastern United States.
The amount of electricity on the Ontario transmission system dropped about tenfold from 23.9 gigawatts (GW) at 3 p.m. to 2.3 GW by 5 p.m., as the effects of an Ohio power plant shutdown cascaded across the continental grid.
Weather events
As Hurricane Fiona moved toward Prince Edward Island in the early hours of September 24, 2022, the on-island load dropped about a hundredfold from around 100 MW at midnight to just above 1.23 MW at 6:30 a.m. Amid widespread power outages, load flatlined and only came back to 3.94 MW by midnight on September 25.
A screenshot from the HFED tool which shows the effects of Hurricane Fiona on Prince Edward Island's on-island electricity load. From midnight to 6:30 a.m. on September 24, the load dropped from around 100 MW to just above 1.23 MW. By midnight on September 25, it increased slightly to 3.94 MW.
A heat wave pushed Alberta’s internal load up past 10.6 GW at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 7, 2023. Earlier that afternoon, the provincial electric utility issued a grid alert, asking consumers to conserve electricity usage amid the hot temperatures and low wind, as well as an unplanned generator outage.
Internal load peaked the next day in Alberta at 10.9 GW at 4:45 p.m., as the heat persisted. By comparison, the load did not surpass 9.4 GW on Wednesday of the preceding week.
To learn more
Users are invited to access the data visualizations and resources on the CCEI website, and to check back regularly as new data are added.
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Contact information
For more information, contact the Statistical Information Service (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).