Canada’s largest battery, the 411MW/1,858MWh Skyview 2 project in Ontario, shows how grid-scale storage, AI, and community partnerships are reshaping clean energy.
Canada’s biggest battery is now under construction
411MW of power. Up to 1,858MWh of stored energy. On a single site in eastern Ontario.
Projects at this scale quietly change how an entire grid works. They also signal where green technology and clean energy investment are heading in 2026 and beyond.
Skyview 2, now under construction in Edwardsburgh Cardinal, is being billed as Canada’s largest battery energy storage system (BESS). Built around Canadian Solar’s e-STORAGE SolBank 3.0 technology and developed with Potentia Renewables and the Algonquins of Pikwàkanagàn First Nation, it’s a textbook case of how large-scale storage, policy, and partnerships are reshaping energy systems.
This matters for anyone watching green technology, AI-powered grid optimization, or the business side of clean energy. Skyview 2 isn’t just a big battery; it’s a template for how to build bankable, grid-scale storage that actually supports reliability, decarbonization, and local communities.
In this post, I’ll break down what’s being built, why Ontario is suddenly a storage hotspot, how AI and software will make projects like this pay off, and what it means if you’re an energy developer, investor, or enterprise planning for a low-carbon future.
What exactly is Skyview 2 building in Ontario?
Skyview 2 is a 411MW / 1,858MWh lithium-ion battery energy storage system located in Edwardsburgh Cardinal, Ontario. It’s part of Ontario’s Long-Term Reliability (LT1) energy storage procurement, which is designed to add firm capacity to the grid as demand grows toward 2050.
Key specs and structure
- Power rating: 411MW (how much the system can discharge at once)
- Energy capacity: 1,858MWh nameplate (theoretical maximum) and around 1,560+MWh under contract
- Technology: Canadian Solar e-STORAGE SolBank 3.0 containerized BESS
- Units: About 390 SolBank units on site
- Schedule: Shipments start February 2026; commercial operation targeted for Q2 2027
- Contract depth: A 21-year Long-Term Service Agreement (LTSA) with e-STORAGE
The distinction between 1,858MWh nameplate and ~1,560MWh contracted energy is important. The nameplate figure reflects what the batteries can theoretically store in ideal conditions. The contracted number reflects what the project is actually obligated to provide under its agreements, typically de-rated to account for realistic operating conditions and performance guarantees.
Here’s the thing about a 411MW battery: this isn’t a niche pilot. At four hours of duration, it’s bulk system infrastructure. It can:
- Shift large volumes of solar and wind into evening peaks
- Provide fast-response backup when other generators trip offline
- Avoid or defer expensive gas peaker plants and transmission upgrades
Skyview 2 is being built as a turnkey engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) project by e-STORAGE, which is also responsible for:
- System integration
- Substation and balance-of-plant (excluding HV transformer and HV switchgear)
- Grid connection via a transmission line to existing infrastructure
That bundled model—technology + integration + long-term services—is exactly what lenders and utilities usually want to see for projects in the gigawatt-hour range.
Why Ontario is suddenly a battery storage leader
Ontario now hosts more than two-thirds of Canada’s grid-connected storage, with 486MW already online. Alberta holds just over a quarter at 190MW. Skyview 2 and the recent 250MW / 1,000MWh Oneida project are pushing Ontario into the first tier of storage jurisdictions globally.
Policy is doing the heavy lifting
Ontario’s Integrated Energy Plan and the LT1 procurement are explicit about bringing storage into the core of grid planning. The province expects electricity demand to climb sharply by 2050—driven by:
- Electrification of transport and buildings
- Industrial decarbonization
- Data centres and AI computing loads
Instead of leaning solely on new gas plants, Ontario is using:
- Long-term contracts to make storage bankable
- Capacity payments that reward availability, not just energy arbitrage
- Transmission expansion to support storage near load and generation hubs
The reality? Storage isn’t just a nice add-on to renewables anymore. It’s treated as a capacity asset, on par with traditional generation.
Oneida & Skyview 2: A new baseline for Canadian projects
When Oneida Energy Storage (250MW/1,000MWh) came online in May 2025, Ontario more than doubled its operational storage capacity overnight. With Skyview 2 following, the province is effectively setting a new minimum viable scale for grid projects: hundreds of megawatts, multi-hour duration, multi-decade contracts.
Most companies still try to scale up from 10–50MW projects without fully rethinking their risk, EPC model, or digital strategy. Ontario’s recent projects are a not-so-subtle message: if you want to play at grid scale, you need bankable partners, strong policy frameworks, and serious software.
Technology behind Canada’s largest battery: SolBank 3.0
Skyview 2 is built around SolBank 3.0, e-STORAGE’s containerized battery energy storage product. Canadian Solar has been scaling this line quickly—shipping a record 2.7GWh of BESS in Q3 2025, above its 2.1–2.3GWh guidance.
What SolBank 3.0 brings to grid-scale storage
SolBank 3.0 (and the newer SolBank 3.0 Plus) are designed for high-throughput, utility-scale applications:
- Standardized, factory-built units: Roughly 390 are going to Skyview 2, which simplifies EPC and commissioning.
- High energy density cells: More MWh per square metre, which matters when land and interconnection capacity are constrained.
- Integrated thermal management and safety systems: Critical for fire safety compliance and insurance.
The company expects to lift annual BESS assembly capacity from 20GWh to 30GWh by the end of 2025, while battery cell manufacturing stays at 3GWh per year. That gap tells you something important: the value is shifting towards integration, system design, and software, not just cell manufacturing.
Where AI and software actually change project economics
A lot of “AI + energy” hype is vague. In practice, here’s where machine learning and advanced optimization matter for a project like Skyview 2:
-
Dispatch optimization
Algorithms schedule charge/discharge based on:- Real-time and forecasted power prices
- Renewable generation profiles
- System constraints and contract obligations
-
Degradation-aware control
A 21-year LTSA only works if the asset stays within its performance envelope. AI models can:- Adjust cycling depth dynamically
- Avoid stress patterns that accelerate wear
- Balance short-term revenue with long-term health
-
Predictive maintenance
Edge analytics on each container can flag:- Abnormal temperature or voltage behavior
- Emerging faults at the rack or string level
- Components likely to fail before the next planned outage
-
Grid services stacking
One BESS can provide multiple services—capacity, frequency regulation, reserves, sometimes even black start. Smart control systems stack those without breaching operational or contractual limits.
I’ve found that projects that treat “digital” as an afterthought end up leaving 10–30% of potential revenue on the table, especially once markets get more volatile. At Ontario’s scale, that’s millions of dollars per year.
Partnership model: utilities, developers, and First Nations
The development structure behind Skyview 2 is just as important as the hardware. The project is led by Potentia Renewables in collaboration with the Algonquins of Pikwàkanagàn First Nation, with e-STORAGE as the turnkey EPC and long-term service provider.
This checks several boxes that modern green technology projects increasingly need to hit.
Why First Nations partnership matters
Energy infrastructure has a long history of ignoring or harming Indigenous communities. That’s changing—slowly—but the projects that do this well are already seeing better social license and fewer permitting headaches.
In practice, meaningful partnerships often mean:
- Equity participation and shared upside, not just local job promises
- Consultation on land use, heritage, and environmental impacts
- Long-term revenue streams through leases, royalties, or profit-sharing
Skyview 2 fits into a broader trend: First Nations and Indigenous groups moving from “stakeholders” to co-owners and co-developers in clean energy and storage.
What this means for developers and investors
If you’re planning large storage or hybrid projects in North America, you can assume:
- Indigenous or local community partnership will increasingly be a requirement, not a PR bonus.
- Projects that embed community benefits early are more likely to win in competitive procurements.
- Investors are already screening for ESG quality, including governance and community participation.
Most companies get this wrong by treating engagement as a late-stage checkbox. The better way is to bring partners in at the concept stage, not after design and routing are essentially fixed.
What Skyview 2 signals for the future of green technology
Skyview 2 sits right at the intersection of green technology, smart grids, and AI-driven optimization. It also gives a pretty clear preview of where things are heading.
Storage is becoming core grid infrastructure
By 2035, Canada is aiming for 8–12GW of storage deployments across the country. Ontario and Alberta are leading today, but others will follow as renewables grow and thermal capacity retires.
The implication is simple: storage will be treated like transmission and large generation—critical, planned, and long-lived. That means:
- Longer contracts and more predictable revenue streams
- Tougher expectations for reliability and safety
- More emphasis on lifecycle performance and recycling
AI and data will decide who actually makes money
Hardware will keep getting cheaper and more standardized. The real differentiator is shifting to:
- Quality of forecasting and optimization algorithms
- Sophistication of asset management platforms
- Ability to integrate with markets, utilities, and DER fleets
For businesses and investors in green technology, that means:
- If you’re a developer, you need a digital strategy as robust as your EPC strategy.
- If you’re an enterprise buyer, scrutinize not just the battery spec sheet, but the software stack and data capabilities.
- If you’re in AI or analytics, grid-scale storage is a very real, very large market over the next decade.
How to apply these lessons to your own projects
If you’re planning or evaluating storage or hybrid renewable projects, Skyview 2 offers a practical checklist:
- Anchor your project in a clear policy framework: Capacity markets, long-term reliability procurements, or corporate offtake—don’t rely on spot prices alone.
- Standardize technology where possible: Containerized systems from bankable manufacturers reduce integration risk.
- Design for at least 15–20 years: Build in degradation, augmentation, and service agreements from day one.
- Invest early in AI and analytics: Treat software as core infrastructure, not an add-on.
- Build real partnerships with local and Indigenous communities: That’s both a moral and commercial imperative now.
Where green technology goes from here
Skyview 2 shows what mature green technology looks like: large-scale storage, AI-optimized operations, solid policy backing, and shared ownership with local communities. It’s a long way from the “small pilot project” era.
For the broader Green Technology series, this project is a reminder that decarbonization isn’t just about adding more renewables. It’s about building intelligent, flexible infrastructure that keeps grids reliable while fossil capacity winds down.
If you’re evaluating where to place your next bet—whether that’s capital, time, or innovation—grid-scale storage paired with strong digital control is one of the clearest signals on the board right now.
The next question is simple: when the biggest battery in Canada comes online in 2027, will your business be ready to operate in a world where assets like this set the baseline for reliability and flexibility?