The Manila Electric Company (Meralco) has introduced the Powertech Innovation and eXperience Lab (PIXL), the company’s digital twin laboratory that plays an important role in its efforts to futureproof its business operations and contribute to the advancement of the country’s energy industry.
Meralco PIXL Digital Twin Laboratory
The Meralco PIXL features 10 short-throw high-definition projectors, a 360-degree projection wall, LED lights, and extended reality devices like the Microsoft HoloLens and Oculus VR headset. It is a state-of-the-art facility that aims to drive the use of new technologies for the energy industry to achieve the country’s smart grid vision.
A smart grid is the integration of innovative systems into the power grid for better generation and distribution of electricity.
“The most important digital strategy we have is the digitalization of the grid. Making the grid smarter entails a lot of new investments in technology. We are looking to smart substations, smart meters, advanced metering infrastructure, and advanced network infrastructure, all of which taken together would make the grid much smarter and more digital.”
Atty. Ray C. Espinosa, Meralco President and Chief Executive Officer
PIXL can enhance the company’s operations by serving critical functions in delivering reliable electricity service to customers, such as technology scanning, proof of concept, prototype development, extended reality previews of vital facilities, simulations of incident resolutions, distant learning, knowledge transfer, and remote support.
At the event, the company showcased four uses of PIXL namely Digital Twin, Virtual Reality Training, the Mecoverse, and Remote Assist.
Digital Twin allows the company to look at its substations and telecoms towers using Microsoft Hololens to improve productivity, improve asset performance, and reduce maintenance costs.
Virtual Reality Training, on the other hand, uses VR technology to let the company train its engineers at their own pace and in a safe space.
Mecoverse is Meralco’s own virtual business center, new touch point, and possibly more. It is in preparation for next-generation customers that prefer virtual interactions to physical. The company is also looking into this to hold corporate events and meetings.
When asked when we can expect the Mecoverse, it was said that 1 or 2 years depending on the demand and its progress.
Lastly, Remote Assist makes field work support safer and more efficient through the use of augmented reality.
The lab is also envisioned to serve as a venue for co-innovation initiatives with the academe, regulators, other electric cooperatives, and distribution utilities in the Philippines or even other countries.
“The way we want to use PIXL is like a studio where you can teleport to any location you want and be able to experience that in a digital reality.”
Rocky D. Bacani, Meralco’s First Vice President for Information, Communication, Technology and Transformation (ICTT)
In 2021, the company started utilizing the ICT Operations Platform and Telecommunications Integrated Command Center (OPTIC), a new command and control center which manages all information, communication, and technology system of the distribution utility. The facility aims to reduce unplanned downtime of critical ICT systems, increase the productivity of employees, and enhance service delivery to customers.
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Ram found his love and appreciation for writing in 2015 having started in the gaming and esports sphere for GG Network. He would then transition to focus more on the world of tech which has also began his journey into learning more about this world. That said though, he still has the mentality of "as long as it works" for his personal gadgets.
