LISTED power distributor Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) has launched its digital twin laboratory named Powertech Innovation and eXperience Lab (PIXL) which uses real-world data to create simulations.

“This is to improve further the way we deliver reliable electricity, and this is, of course, through technology,” said Joe R. Zaldarriaga, Meralco’s spokesperson and vice president for communications, in a media briefing on Thursday.

PIXL uses a virtual world rendering studio and metaverse where the company can assess and manage its substations in real time.

The studio contains 10 short-throw high-definition projectors, a 360-degree projection wall, LED lights, and extended reality devices such as Microsoft HoloLens and Oculus VR headset.

The technology has been installed in 16 of Meralco’s 133 substations, which give extended reality previews of different vital facilities.

Rocky D. Bacani, first vice-president for information, communication, technology, and transformation, said that the company can explore the substation sites within the studio and can see the actual components installed.

“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,” he said.

“As a leader in the energy industry, Meralco continuously invests in new technologies that will enhance our business operations to deliver consistent excellent service,” he added.

The company aims to share the technology as a “co-innovation initiative” with the academe, regulators, and other distribution utilities in the country.

Meralco’s controlling stakeholder, Beacon Electric Asset Holdings, Inc., is partly owned by PLDT Inc. Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has an interest in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera