Smart Grid Fund: Ontario Business Grants Eligibility

The Smart Grid Fund is supported by the Ontario provincial government and aims to support next-generation green technology to help bring about more efficient energy use by residents of Ontario and people around the world.

Ontario Business Grants Smart Grid Fund Amount

Smart Grid Fund Ontario business grants will support up to 50% of project costs with a maximum of $4 million in non-repayable contributions.

Smart Grid Fund Government Funding Ontario Eligible Organizations

The types of organizations listed below qualify for the Smart Grid Fund:

• Organizations that are either based in Ontario or will be based in Ontario from the start of the project
• Business/University or college/Regional or Municipal Governments/Non-government organizations
• Electrical utilities will only qualify as collaborators

Small Business Grants Ontario Eligible Project Types:

There are two different types of projects that will qualify for government funding for business under the Smart Grid Fund:

1. Capacity Building

• Minimum project spend: $500,000.
• Favour projects asking for less than 50%.
• Stacking of up to 50% is permissible.
• Organizations in business a minimum of 2 years with other products/services in commercialization stage.
• Minimum project total of $250,000.
• Stacking of up to 50%.
• Project must be in “pilot” stage.
• Must collaborate with electricity utilities, transmitters or grid operators.

2. Demonstration Projects

• Minimum project total of $250,000.
• Stacking of up to 50%.
• Project must be in “pilot” stage.
• Must collaborate with electricity utilities, transmitters or grid operators.

Ontario Government Funding Eligible Expenses

The following expenses are eligible for reimbursement through the Smart Grid Fund:

• Construction/leasehold improvements
• Equipment and machinery purchase, installation and retrofitting costs, including delivery
• Materials, Labour, Training
• Direct external service provider costs
• Project related administration
• Monitoring and evaluation costs (for Demonstration Projects only).
• Electricity Utility costs (50%)

Expenses Ineligible for Ontario Government Grants Coverage

The following list includes some but not all of the costs that will not be covered by Smart Grid Fund small business grants:

• Overhead and on-going operational costs
• Working Capital
• Recipient and Collaborator costs must be “at cost” and not include profit
• Purchase of land or buildings or construction of buildings
• Transaction costs
• Costs not incurred in Ontario
• Costs for project assets not located at the project facility or within an Ontario based facility
• Costs outside of project timeframe
• Sales, advertising, promotion or marketing materials costs

Projects Eligible for Ontario Government Funding

The following list of projects has been deemed eligible for the Smart Grid Fund:

• Energy storage projects that involve the integration of information, control, automation, and communication with the grid for new and emerging applications
• Projects of various technologies that demonstrate a clear potential to advance conservation at the residential, commercial, industrial, or electric utility levels
• Micro-grid integration and management technologies
• Projects that focus on innovative grid applications such as smart charging and communication infrastructure to support and manage plug-in electric vehicles (EVs)
• Cyber-security projects that demonstrate the protection of equipment, electricity utility systems and private information from malicious cyber infiltration
• Regional projects demonstrating LDC’s contributing to and benefitting from solutions in cooperation with other LDCs
• Distributed generation integration
• Advanced and innovative distribution automation including monitoring, communication, automation and control technologies.

Ontario Small Business Grants Ineligible Projects

The Smart Grid Fund has outlined a list of sample projects that are ineligible for small business funding grants through the Smart Grid Fund:

1. Projects solely focused on the development of Distributed Energy Resources (DER) and failing to incorporate advanced communication technology, including:

• Distribution generation or energy production for electrical purposes (including projects that would qualify under the “Feed-in Tariff Program”
• Co-generation or Combined Heat and Power technologies
• Fuel cells
• Micro-turbines
• Combustion turbines
• Reciprocating engines
• Stirling engines
• Hybrid systems involving the technologies listed above

2. Projects focused on behind-the-meter conservation and demand management technologies that are not integrated with the grid through intelligent communications infrastructure.

3. Pure academic research projects.

4. Early stage research projects.

 Find Out More about Smart Grid Fund Ontario Business Grants

Learn more about this Ontario business grants program by choosing from one of the following:

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