A ‘micro-grid’ electricity system on the Burnaby campus of British Columbia Institute of Technology could be the catalyst for major changes in power distribution at BC Hydro.

BCIT and research partners, including the University of British Columbia and the University of Toronto, share $5 million in federal funding awarded last week by science and technology minister of state Gary Goodyear to ramp up the technical institute’s smart-grid research program. ECE’s Professor Reza Iravani is one of three team leaders on the project.