On the consumption side, electricity costs for industrial users is already heavily discounted compared to what the average consumer pays. But the most savvy industrial user can take advantage of time-based arbitrage to buy power at night when the price is low, store it, and use it during the day when the price is high. Solar panels, active during the day time, also help with peak shaving.

As noted in one article, "while electricity rates in Ontario are not high enough for the company to consider moving production out of Canada, rising costs eat into profitability at plants that often have tight margins."

So we see the real culprits are short-term profit-focused thinking and an unwillingness to invest in the long term. For years, industrial users have had access to provincial energy efficiency programs, including dedicated Energy Managers, paid for out of general ratepayer funds. There have been ample opportunities to invest in the future.

The grid of the future will likely involve peer-to-peer energy transactions on an open market. Consumers and businesses that position themselves for adaptable consumption patterns will reap the most benefits. Those that sit idle and complain will be pruned.

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