The Modern Grid Innovation Exchange
Event 1 of SGIN’s Utility of the Future Innovation Exchange Series
Monday, October 19, 2026 | Room 201A, Automotive Building, Toronto, ON (adjacent to the Enercare Centre)
On October 19, 2026, SGIN is hosting the Modern Grid Innovation Exchange in Toronto — the first installment in a new five-part series exploring the “Utility of the Future.” The workshop is held in partnership with CanREA and RE+ Events, taking place the day before Electricity Transformation Canada (ETC) begins.
The Exchange is a small-scale, peer-led session designed to create meaningful engagement between utilities and solution providers — grounded in SGIN’s Smart Utility Performance Index (SUPI).
The core idea: utilities name their toughest modern grid challenges first, in a confidential, utility-only setting. Vendors respond directly to what was actually raised, rather than presenting generic pitches to a general audience.
Primary objectives include:
- Delivering a utility-only discovery and benchmarking session using SGIN’s SUPI Modern Grid domain
- Offering targeted vendor engagements in a trusted, small-scale format
- Showcasing utility success stories and challenges in modern grid implementation
- Supporting the development of Canada’s modern grid leadership community
The session is grounded in real data: 12 utilities have completed the SGIN’s SUPI Modern Grid scorecard to date, with 8 more currently underway. Across the 20-utility cohort (2024–2026), Modern Grid domain scores range from 15 to 89 out of 100, with a cohort average of 49 — the widest spread of any SUPI domain. Confidentiality is structural: utilities learn where they stand relative to peers, but no individual results are ever publicly named or ranked. (A previous cohort’s results were published with participant consent and are available as a public report. See here.)
Workshop Structure
- Morning (7:30 AM – 1:00 PM): Utility-only peer discussion and SUPI benchmarking, covering DERs, load forecasting, AMI, ADMS, SCADA, VPP, DERMS, and related modern grid topics
- Midday transition (1:00 – 1:15 PM): Vendor introductions and guest speaker
- Afternoon (1:15 – 4:00 PM): Curated vendor showcases — speed presentations and deep-dive discussions connecting solution providers directly with utility decision-makers
- 4:00 – 5:00 PM: Networking reception
- 5:00 PM onward: Rolls directly into Electricity Transformation Canada, with workshop attendees receiving a complimentary or deeply discounted pass (first come, first served)
Participation
- Utility seats: free for SGIN members, $150 for non-members
- Vendor seats: $750, with a 25% discount for SGIN vendor members