Review of Distributed Generation Product and Interconnection Standards for Canada

There is an accelerating world demand for environmentally friendly power systems such as photovoltaic arrays, wind turbines, fuel cells and microturbines. This environmental push, combined with a need for increased reliability of electricity supply, opens the door to many new technologies. This, in turn, calls for numerous standards covering the new distributed generation products themselves, from both safety and performance points of view, as well as their installation and operation in synchronism with the grid. There is a need for national standards that serve all parties, while minimizing the variations for regional requirements and ensuring products available on the international scene meet our market needs. That, in itself, can be a challenge. The development of these national and international consensuses takes time but significant work has been done in the last years, and more is currently undertaken to facilitate the deployment of distributed generation in Canada.