ENERGY STORAGE CANADA

Board of Directors

 
 
Brad Kyte
Chair


Brad is a Senior Manager in Ontario Power Generation’s Business Development team and manages energy storage projects for large customers and grid opportunities. Brad has been a key player in the development of a new energy storage business segment at OPG. He has 15 years of experience in the power generation sector and has been involved in electricity generation and storage project development involving technologies such as batteries, pumped storage, compressed air, nuclear, conventional hydroelectric, natural gas, and biomass. Brad has been a member of Energy Storage Canada’s Advocacy Counsel since 2016.

 
 
Kristyn Annis
Vice Chair


Kristyn is a tri-lingual power lawyer with more than 12 years of experience practising energy law. Her career spans the private, public and not-for-profit sectors. Kristyn is currently counsel with the Corporate Commercial Group in BLG’s Toronto office. She has a corporate and commercial practice focused on energy, advising clients on mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, reorganizations, commercial arrangements and corporate governance. Kristyn has advised numerous global and domestic energy companies on M&A and has acted as counsel to Canada’s top lenders in infrastructure project finance.

Kristyn has in-house experience working for one of Canada’s leading banks, managing the bank’s energy portfolio and sale thereof. Kristyn’s in-house experience also includes acting as general counsel for a renewable energy company that acquired assets in Pakistan, Malawi and Nigeria and developed and financed energy projects on a non-recourse basis.

Kristyn’s commercial expertise is complemented with her regulatory expertise. As well as acting as counsel to the IESO, Kristyn advises clients on the IESO Market Rules, climate change compliance and regulatory issues governed by the Ontario Energy Board. Kristyn regularly participates in stakeholder events in the Ontario energy sector as well as at the federal level with respect to energy and Indigenous issues.

Kristyn also has experience working for the Ontario government on two different occasions: for the Minister of Energy and for the Premier of Ontario. During her time in government Kristyn developed and directed the implementation of important energy policy, and programs to expand the participation of Indigenous governments and companies in the energy sector.

 
 
Ammar Nawaz
Treasurer


Ammar is the Vice President of Distributed Energy Solutions at Alectra. He is responsible for advancing Alectra’s commercial initiatives by leveraging emerging technology trends and consumer preferences to develop a suite of bespoke energy solutions.

Prior to joining Alectra, Ammar had spent over a decade at Hydro One across technical, operational and business development roles. As part of his portfolio at Hydro One, Ammar supported enterprise strategy development, new venture growth, M&A and regulatory reform initiatives.

Ammar also provided strategic advice and thought leadership on regulatory and power market reforms, and chaired several internal committees on DER integration and renumeration work. Ammar is a Professional Engineer and also holds a Masters-in-Law from Osgoode Hall Law School focused on utility regulation and infrastructure development. Ammar is also the Chair of Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO) West Toronto.

 
 
 
 
Utilia Amaral
Board Secretary


Utilia is Senior Advisor at Rubicon Strategy. Utilia also founded MarketStep Consulting after building a career spanning 20 years, which included executive-level positions in the private sector, the not-for-profit sector and as a senior ministerial advisor serving in government. Currently she works with a number of clients in the energy space providing regulatory, government affairs and business development strategic advice. Previously, she served as the Chair of the Canadian Solar Industries Association and was the Manager Director of Strategic Affairs for SunEdison Canada. She obtained her BAA in Urban and Regional Planning from Toronto’s Ryerson University and her Master of Science in Economics of Urbanization from University College in London, England. She also graduated with a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management.

 
 
Nathan Cox


Nathan is a Senior Market Analyst with Capstone Infrastructure.  He works on new market entry strategy across North America, M&A opportunities and greenfield development. Nathan is especially interested in the identifying how system needs can be met with new technology.

Prior to Capstone, Nathan spent 10 years at Hydro One primarily in Distribution Asset Management where he was involved in all facets of system planning including new load and generation connections, system upgrades and power quality investigations.  He was also heavily involved in Hydro One’s early efforts to deploy distributed energy storage solutions for improving system performance and reliability.

Nathan has spent his entire career working on renewables with experience in the utility sector performing connection assessments and now as a developer and operator originating and advancing projects. He is passionate about projects that provide optimal outcomes for grid operators, rate payers and owners.  He is excited about the role energy storage can play both in reinforcing the grid and enabling the energy transition.

 
 
Martin Rheault


Martin has been advancing the energy transition for twenty years with a focus on electricity, renewable energy, and energy storage technologies. With a unique background in both technical and business expertise, Martin currently serves as Vice President of Sales and Marketing at EVLO, a new battery energy storage system company owned by Hydro-Québec, the largest power utility in Canada. Martin brings his sharp strategic vision and extensive technical expertise to accelerate the adoption of EVLO’s innovative energy storage solutions across North America and has built EVLO’s sales team from the ground up. Further, Martin served as interim CTO of EVLO, where he spearheaded the development of its trailblazing, ultra-safe battery solution, the EVLO 1000.

Martin previously served as partner and director for wind, solar, and storage, at BBA, where he led the business at a national level and broadened the development of renewable energy projects for utility and developer clients across Canada. Martin was responsible for opening BBA’s office in Calgary from 2012 to 2017 where he established and consulted with regional clientele and provided strategic guidance in growing the company’s presence in the region. Through his leadership at both BBA and EVLO, he has developed, designed, built, and commissioned multiple gigawatts of projects in Canada, the U.S. and Europe.

 
 
Graham Morin


Graham has over 25 years of experience delivering energy management and efficiency solutions to industrial, institutional, and utility clients. He is a seasoned energy professional with a history of delivering value-added solutions across all points of the energy grid including generation, transmission, distribution and end-user. Since 2011, his focus has been on energy storage and demand response technologies. He has held roles related to both origination and solution development employing energy storage technologies. His specialty is in monetizing flexible resources on electric grids in North America. He has been active in the storage ecosystem in Ontario since 2016. He is a passionate advocate for enhancing grid reliability, resiliency and flexibility using energy storage and other complimentary hardware and software solutions.

Graham holds a B.S. degree in Material Science & Engineering from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and an MBA from the University of Illinois - Chicago

 
 
Lucy Huynh


Lucy Huynh, Vice President of Finance at Ameresco Canada, a leading clean tech integrator and renewable energy asset developer, owner and operator. Lucy is involved in all areas of the Canadian business unit, from development to operations ensuring strategies align with financial targets.

Lucy oversees the Accounting / FP&A team, however also involved in all Canadian related project financing. Lucy is also an active member of Ameresco’s Corporate ESG Ambassadors group driving towards Ameresco’s ESG goals.

 
 
Nicola Vaughan


Nicola is the Policy and Regulatory Specialist, Corporate Relations, at Innergex Renewable Energy. She has been with Innergex for over five years, providing analysis and advice on the implications of government policy and regulation for the renewable energy sector. Nicola has a decade of experience in environmental and climate policy, including several years with the BC provincial government and the Western Australian state government. She has a Bachelor of Arts and Science in anthropology and biology from the Australian National University. Nicola is committed to working collaboratively with governments, Indigenous peoples, industry, and other stakeholders to develop workable solutions and policies that ensure renewable energy development will be supported to meet climate objectives and future energy needs.

 
 
Sarah Griffiths


As Vice President, Government & Regulatory Affairs at Hydrostor Inc., Sarah works to enhance policy and regulatory arrangements for long-duration energy storage resources. Hydrostor leverages a proven technology solution for delivering long-duration energy storage (eight hours or more) to power grids around the world by using compressed air and water to store energy. Sarah has actively been involved in all areas of electricity market operation, regulation, legislation and policy development most recently at a large independent power producer where she focused on expanding the participation of alternative technologies across Canada and the US. Sarah has a degree in Political Studies from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, and a Master of Science in Public Policy from the London School of Economics.

 
 
 
 
Sumesh Guptar


As the Manager of Energy Storage in Power's Business Development team, Sumesh Guptar is passionate about creating opportunities supporting Enbridge's energy transition. 

Responsible for overseeing all facets of the development cycle, Sumesh drives standalone, co-located, and behind-the-meter energy storage projects from conception to financial investment decisions.

Sumesh has more than 19 years of experience in the renewable power industry and has led various development, construction, and operations initiatives. Some highlights include the development and execution of wind turbine projects, establishment of an Engineering group, implementation of data analytics systems, operation of a transmission facility, development of de-icing systems for wind turbine blades, and establishment of a 24x7 remote operations center.

Sumesh has been a Professional Engineer since 2007. He has an MBA from Queens University and a BA in Engineering from the University of Toronto.

 
 
Tremor Temchin


Tremor Temchin is a Senior Vice President at Convergent Energy + Power. He is active in all phases of development for Convergent’s Canadian energy storage assets, including strategic opportunity identification, contract negotiation, system design, construction coordination, and regulatory oversight. Since 2014, he has led the development, contracting, construction and commissioning of over 200 Megawatts of storage systems throughout North America. He holds a seat on Energy Storage Canada’s Board of Directors.

Prior to joining Convergent in 2014, Tremor served as the Founder and Executive Director of the Rotary Pacific Water for Life Foundation, a non-governmental organization based in Fiji that builds healthier communities by providing sustainable access to safe drinking water and sanitation in the Pacific Island Nations. He also worked as a writer for various television series and assisted in the production of several feature films.

Tremor graduated with honors from Pomona College and holds an MA from the University of the South Pacific’s Pacific Centre for Environment and Sustainable Development.

 
 
Andrea Brown


Andrea is the Director of Enterprise Strategy & Business Development at Ontario Power Generation (OPG) with responsibility for OPG’s strategic direction and business development streams such as energy storage, pumped hydro and future growth opportunities that support a low carbon economy. Andrea has over 18 years of experience in the environment and electricity sectors, including launching the company’s electrification strategy, and leading culture change initiatives throughout OPG. Andrea has a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of Waterloo and is a member of Professional Engineers Ontario. She lives in Toronto with her husband and two daughters, and has a passion for inspiring kinds in the fields of STEM.

 
 
Tyler Balding


With over 18 years of renewable energy industry experience, and with a specialty in energy storage, Tyler has been fortunate to match his career with his passion for climate improvement. Tyler is proud to have contributed to the development, financing, and construction of over $1B worth of renewable energy and energy storage projects across North America. Having held roles in Distribution, Manufacturing, Project Development, BESS Integration, Finance, M&A and Asset Management, Tyler’s broad array of experiences within the industry have enabled him to bring a holistic understanding to every project he tackles. Currently at EDF Renewables Canada, Tyler supports the regional development teams with the deployment of Standalone Storage and PV+Storage pipelines. Further, Tyler has an MBA from York University’s Schulich School of Business.

 
 
Mike Schoenenberger


Mike is an accomplished Professional Engineer and the technical authority at Enfinite. With his expertise and dedication, he leads interdisciplinary teams to design, plan, develop, construct, and operate Enfinite’s projects and developments. Driven by passion for advancing the field of battery energy storage, he has worked tirelessly to implement trailblazing battery energy storage solutions. His expertise in optimizing and integrating smart grid technologies has played a pivotal role in the successful deployment of large-scale energy storage projects. He is a thought leader and a dedicated advocate for sustainable energy practices and has actively participated in industry conferences and advocacy groups, sharing his knowledge and insights with industry peers. As the battery energy storage industry continues to evolve, Mike remains at the forefront of innovation and powering progress towards a more sustainable future.