The Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) enables Ottawa to integrate six newly approved solar projects and reduce increasing reliance on gas-fired electricity during peak hours.. The Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) enables Ottawa to integrate six newly approved solar projects and reduce increasing reliance on gas-fired electricity during peak hours.. In 2025, the City of Ottawa established official plan and zoning provisions for battery energy storage uses in accordance with new Official Plan policy. BESS is an emerging technology using batteries and associated equipment to store excess energy from the electrical grid, which can then discharge. . Changes have been made to the city's Official Plan and zoning bylaws to create a building for storing electricity in off-peak hours from the grid. The City of Ottawa's Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee approved the changes for Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), set to guide the land use. . ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE, COMMUNITY ACTION FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY (CAFES) Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – Environmental Defence and Community Action for Environmental Sustainability (CAFES) applaud.
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