During winter 2024‑2025, measures were implemented in institutional buildings to improve their energy performance during peak demand events as part of the Demand Response (DR) Option. The initiative was carried out in collaboration with building managers, local companies specializing in energy efficiency, as well as Hydro‑Québec.
The measures involved:
Reprogramming the energy management systems of the buildings to modify their control sequences
Synchronizing them with the microgrid’s central control system
Taking into account comments from occupants so that adjustments to ensure their comfort can be made
The improvements made to the buildings enabled the railway station and the MRC du Granit to reduce their power demand by more than 40% during peak demand events.
What’s more, because they were enrolled in the DR Option, the buildings received a credit worth about 10% of their annual electricity bill. This credit–paid out at the end of winter–is calculated based on the average of the power demand reductions achieved during peak demand events.
Did you know?
As opposed to residential customers, the majority of business customers are billed not only for the energy they consume, but also for power demand, i.e., energy consumption at a given time. High demand at a given time can result in significant costs both for businesses and Hydro‑Québec, which has to maintain a power system that is able to meet needs during peak periods. That’s why we’ve created incentive programs to encourage better energy use at the right time.
Québec’s one-of-a-kind Le Chevalier building is a multifunctional building with 21 affordable apartments that is equipped with a wide range of innovative energy technologies. The tenants in this innovative living environment all share the common goal of using electricity wisely.
The Le Chevalier building is a living lab. The residents share energy resources by optimizing energy use and relying on various types of technology. Their experiences will be included in studies on household energy use.
Hybrid solar panels on the roof
Preheating domestic hot water
Generating electricity to supply the building
Wall-mounted thermal storage heaters
Shifting electricity use to outside peak periods
Heat pumps
Heating in the winter with the possibility of energy savings thanks to this high-efficiency device
Air-conditioning in the summer
Electricity management system
Effective energy management in the building
Coordination with the microgrid’s other energy installations
The Lac-Mégantic heritage railway station has reopened its doors and is proposing more services for tourists, including a tourist information office and various permanent exhibitions, including a new exhibition on energy and the energy transition.
The outdoor guided discovery tours of the microgrid continued throughout the summer, which allowed the public to discover Québec’s first-ever electric microgrid. Tours depart from the railway station. Departure times may vary. Duration: about 50 minutes. Free admission. No reservations required.
The first edition of Energy Transition Week, an event designed to bring people together, was successful in raising awareness and mobilizing more than 2,250 people around this important issue.
A variety of themed activities were held throughout the week:
Monday, April 29: A day for the business community
Lunchtime presentation with Pierre Fitzgibbon, then‑Minister of Economy, Innovation and Energy and Minister Responsible for Regional Economic Development. Julie Morin, Mayor of Lac‑Mégantic, also took the opportunity to kick off Lac‑Mégantic’s energy transition project, Mission mégawattand a Hydro‑Québec representative presented offers and programs designed for business customers.
Tuesday, April 30: School day
A creative workshop on the theme of renewable energy was held in Lac‑Mégantic elementary and secondary schools.
Wednesday, May 1: A day for tourists
The focus was on the guided discovery tour of the microgrid, a tourist attraction and a unique technology showcase in Lac‑Mégantic.
Thursday, May 2: Municipality day
Various workshops and conferences took place, including a joint presentation by Hydro‑Québec and the town of Lac-Mégantic entitled Un laboratoire vivant au service de la transition énergétique (A living lab driving the energy transition).
Source : Fil Facebook de la Ville de Lac-Mégantic.
Saturday, May 4, and Sunday, May 5: Exhibition for the general public – Energy and the Environment
The Centre sportif Mégantic presented activities for the whole family—stands, quizzes, educational activities, an electric vehicle show and test drives.
Located within the perimeter of the microgrid, the multifunctional Le Chevalier building will include 21 affordable apartments and will be equipped with a wide range of innovative energy technologies that will benefit the tenants.
Built to meet an urgent need for affordable apartments, the building is made up of factory-built modular units that are then transported for on-site assembly. There are many advantages to this approach, including a shorter construction time and less waste on the jobsite. Construction will continue until spring 2024.
A call for expressions of interest for people interested in living in the units and participating in the energy transition will take place in early 2024. Tenants will move into the units in summer 2024.
Departures from the heritage railway station, from Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tour the outdoor interpretation center with our guides. (Exact departure times may vary.) Duration: about 50 minutes. Tours are free. No reservations required.
Our free guided tours continue this fall! Departures from the heritage railway station will continue on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. until October 9; exact times may vary. Duration: about one hour. (Tours are in French.)
Learn more
Free guided tours all summer long! Departures from the heritage railway station, from Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; exact times may vary. Duration: about an hour. (Tours are in French.)
Learn more
Discover the architectural pavilion in downtown Lac‑Mégantic, at the very heart of the microgrid discovery tour. Take a look at the dashboard to follow the real‑time energy consumption and production of local buildings and the 72 solar panels on the roof of the pavilion that power the nearby heritage railway station and electric vehicle charging stations. The pavilion is a public gathering place that will host community activities.
On Saturday, December 4, kindergarten students at École Notre‑Dame‑de‑Fatima presented a Christmas concert to mark the pavilion’s inauguration and the start of the holiday season.
Check out the Lac‑Mégantic microgrid discovery tour between the train station and the substation located near the town’s sports center. The tour will give you an idea of what the future has in store energy‑wise! Identify the buildings housing various technologies and learn more about how the microgrid works. Visit the exhibition in the heritage railway station—open throughout the summer—and learn, among other things, how electricity came to Lac‑Mégantic, at the instigation of Father Joseph‑Eugène‑Edmond Choquette, nicknamed the “Electric Priest.”
Thank you to the contributors and to all the citizens of Lac-Mégantic who attended the official inauguration of the town’s microgrid, a groundbreaking project for an innovative, forward-looking community!
When planning the reconstruction of its downtown core following the rail disaster of July 2013, Lac-Mégantic set itself the challenge of becoming a hub of technological innovation. At the same time, Hydro-Québec was embarking on a major energy transition. The convergence of these two visions resulted in the microgrid, designed collaboratively over the months that ensued.
During a discussion panel, Hydro-Québec President and CEO Sophie Brochu and Lac-Mégantic Mayor Julie Morin highlighted the completion of this unifying project—a source of pride for both the city of Lac-Mégantic and Hydro-Québec. In particular, they discussed what comes next for this promising project. Watch the discussion panel again on Facebook [in French only].
From left to right, in front of the Lac-Mégantic microgrid substation: Éric Filion, Executive Vice President – Distribution, approvisionnement et services partagés for Hydro-Québec, Jonatan Julien, Québec Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Julie Morin, Mayor of Lac‑Mégantic, Marie-Claude Bibeau, federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri‑Food, and Sophie Brochu, President and CEO of Hydro‑Québec.
Jonatan Julien, Québec Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, and Éric Filion, Executive Vice President – Distribution, approvisionnement et services partagés, at the lectern during the press conference.
The eighth edition of the Novae 2021 competition features 20 outstanding projects that apply innovation and originality to address social and environmental issues and have demonstrated the relevance and efficiency of their approaches. The unique partnership between Hydro-Québec land the town of Lac-Mégantic led to the development of Québec’s first microgrid and a technology showcase.
Public information session in the town of Lac-Mégantic on the Pavillon du
microréseau (microgrid pavilion) livestreamed on Facebook. Watch
or rewatch the session here (in French).
A public information session on the rollout of Québec’s first microgrid was
livestreamed on Facebook. Watch or rewatch the session here: first
part, second
part (in French only).
THE LAC-MÉGANTIC MICROGRID An innovative project
in the heart of downtown
OPEN HOUSE
When will the microgrid be commissioned? Where will the solar panels be installed? What do the energy storage systems look like? Why is the project part of the energy transition?
For answers to these questions and more, visit our information booths.
We’d love to talk to you!
Centre sportif Mégantic
5400, rue Papineau, Lac-Mégantic
Friday, March 20, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m
Event cancelled in accordance with the measures taken by the
Government of Québec to limit the spread of COVID-19.
As part of the Lac-Mégantic microgrid project, work is underway to apply energy
efficiency measures in buildings on Promenade Papineau.
Upgrades and improvements to mechanical HVAC systems will improve the working
environment and overall comfort inside the buildings, while targeted energy
management adapted to actual usage will result in energy savings.
“To combat climate change, Canada needs new and innovative approaches to
generating clean power. That is why supporting community-level smart grid
projects that align with provincial priorities is a key component of the
Government of Canada’s approach to a clean energy future.” Source: Natural
Resources Canada.
Last conference of the season on another important aspect of the energy
transition: energy efficiency in terms of optimizing energy use in residential
buildings.
Pierre Brisson, Transition énergétique Québec;
Patrick Martineau, Hydro-Québec; and Fabienne
Joly from the city of Lac-Mégantic’s Bureau de reconstruction.
Second conference in the Bâtisseurs de solutions énergétiques (Building
Energy Solutions) series, presented in Lac-Mégantic.
Daniela Levasseur, Advisor – Transportation
Electrification, Hydro‑Québec; Frédéric Durand,
Assistant Director – Technical Services – Buildings, Ville de Lac-Mégantic;
Simone Soldati, Project Manager – Microgrid,
Hydro‑Québec; and Stéphane Péloquin, Regional
Director – Estrie, Association des Véhicules Électriques du Québec (AVÉQ).
First in a series of conferences entitled Bâtisseurs
de solutions énergétiques (Building Energy Solutions),
presented as part of the microgrid project for Lac-Mégantic residents. The
conferences are held at the Centre sportif Mégantic.
Fabienne Joly and Frédéric Durand,
with the Ville de Lac-Mégantic, accompanied by Hydro‑Québec’s
Marc-Antoine Pouliot and Vincent-Michel
Duval. Julie Morin, Mayor of Lac-Mégantic, was
also present.
Inauguration of the microgrid center in Lac-Mégantic, an
interpretation center open to the public that showcases the microgrid
construction project in the new downtown area of Lac-Mégantic.
Éric Filion, President, Hydro‑Québec
Distribution, accompanied by the Mayor of Lac-Mégantic. Julie
Morin.
