Saint John Energy today (June 5) launched Plug-In Labs, becoming the first Canadian utility to share its near-real time energy system data to outside innovators and researchers - sparking a new wave of energy innovation.
Plug-In Labs provides safe, secure, and managed access to Saint John Energy's smart grid and system data through a digital twin - a virtual replica of the city's energy grid - where innovators and researchers can run simulations, test prototypes, and validate solutions in a safe, virtual environment.
"For years, we've been asking: how might we get to the energy future we want? Plug-In Labs is how we start answering that - by putting our data in the hands of people who can do things with it we haven't yet imagined," said Ryan Mitchell, President and CEO of Saint John Energy.
"Until now, utilities had the data but innovators couldn't get to it. Plug-In Labs unlocks the potential for our utility data to benefit the economy, our community and the planet."
Glen Fillmore, Saint John Energy's Vice-President of Strategic Growth and Transformation
The platform offers an "electrification sandbox" where innovators anywhere in Canada - and beyond - can access a wide range of utility data and a digital twin of Saint John's grid, running models and testing ideas with near real-time and historical data. No identifiable customer information is shared, and outside innovators work in a contained environment with no access to Saint John Energy's live systems.
While sandbox and open innovation programs exist in the Canadian energy sector, none combines what Plug-In Labs does: a utility's own smart grid data, a full digital twin, and structured access for outside innovators in a single governed platform. For researchers and companies anywhere in the country, it creates a direct pathway from promising idea to real-world evidence.
Among the first to use Plug-In Labs are Concordia University's Next Generation Cities Institute and New Brunswick Community College at its Grandview Avenue campus in Saint John. Deloitte Canada and Awesense were key to helping Saint John Energy build its digital twin.
For Concordia, the platform opens the door to two projects: one to identify and prioritize building upgrades for energy customers, and a second to model in-home demand response at scale.
"Saint John Energy has, for many years, been at the forefront of the energy transition in Canada, and Plug-In Labs is another example of that," said Daniel Curwin, Volt-Age Doctoral Fellow at Concordia's Next Generation Cities Institute.
Plug-In Labs is open to innovators and researchers across Canada. Other academic partners include Dalhousie University, the University of New Brunswick and Université de Moncton. Platform technology partners include Deloitte, Kraken, Landis+Gyr, and Awesense.
"Until now, utilities had the data but innovators couldn't get to it," said Glen Fillmore, Saint John Energy's Vice-President of Strategic Growth and Transformation. "Plug-In Labs unlocks the potential for our utility data to benefit the economy, our community and the planet."
Plug-In Labs is the latest step in Saint John Energy's Zero30 initiative - its roadmap for how the utility might reach net-zero emissions and help its customers get there too. Over the past several years, Zero30 has built the foundation that makes Plug-In Labs possible: a smarter grid, new sources of renewable generation, utility-scale storage, and the digital twin now at the heart of the platform.
"All of this comes back to the people, and the city, that we serve," Mitchell said. "A more resilient grid, cleaner energy, more stable rates. Saint John becomes a place where energy solutions are developed for Canada and beyond."
To learn more or get involved, visit pluginlabs.ca.
Saint John Energy, a trusted energy provider since 1922, delivers high-quality products and services to more than 37,000 homes and businesses in Saint John, New Brunswick. A top-rated utility renowned for innovation, reliability and top customer service, it is committed to being a national utility leader in the transition to net zero.
