Smart Energy Project

Saint John Energy is developing new smart energy technologies right here in Saint John that will help inform our energy use and create a more efficient and cost-effective way to provide energy to our customers.

Canada, as a whole, is supporting clean energy technologies that encourage energy efficiency and bring cleaner renewable energy onto a smarter electricity network. Saint John Energy’s new Smart Energy Project will utilize artificial intelligence to help optimize the system. This innovation will result in cost efficiencies and ensure a more resilient and reliable power system for our customers.

The Investment

The total cost of this project is $13.5M, which includes both cash and in-kind contributions. SJE will leverage the NRCan funding to upgrade previously planned investments to smarter and more innovative solutions.

For the NRCan final public report please click here.

For the Saint John Energy final report please click here.

Participate

We need property owners and businesses to participate in the development of this smart energy project. If you’d like to be part of this, fill out our application form.

Smart Energy Participation Form

How the Project Works

The Project aims to demonstrate that weather forecasts and other relevant data can be correlated with the utility load shape such that system peaks and valleys can be accurately predicted in advance. The machine-learned predictability of the load shape will be utilized to dispatch electrical storage (utility-scale and residential-scale batteries, electric vehicles), thermal storage devices (hot water tanks, thermal storage heat pumps), and load control elements (baseboard heaters, heat pumps, and standby generators), such that the system will be optimized. The dispatching algorithm will consider the unique value proposition of each distributed energy resource.

The Project will develop a significant level of artificial intelligence and machine-learning sophistication required to make timely and cost-effective decisions to smooth the system load profile and efficiency. Following the successful demonstration of the Project, a confident and aggressive mass deployment can occur for Saint John Energy, as well as other local distribution utilities.

This demonstration project consists of three main elements, which will be developed and integrated as a complete interrelated package: Smart Energy Resources, an Integrated System Manager, and a Smart Control Centre.