Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Tech & Science

FlexConnect: Empowering the grid, one freezer at a time

Through a blend of software, sensors, and market insight, FlexConnect enables cold storage facilities to become smart, responsive energy assets

Grocery store
Image courtesy of FlexConnect
Image courtesy of FlexConnect

What began as a spark of inspiration at the 2024 Avatar Studio has become a powerful new entrant in Canada’s energy innovation space. FlexConnect, founded by a team of engineers with deep roots in oil and gas, is reimagining how commercial and industrial electricity users can support a more reliable power grid — starting with an unexpected hero: the grocery store freezer.

Through a blend of software, sensors, and market insight, FlexConnect enables cold storage facilities to become smart, responsive energy assets. By intelligently shifting refrigeration loads without compromising food safety, their solution offers customers a chance to save on energy costs while contributing to grid stability during peak demand.

Backed by mentorship, funding readiness support, and industry connections through Avatar Innovations, the team is charting a course to scale its impact across Alberta and beyond. FlexConnect’s innovation is already being piloted with grocery retailers, demonstrating that even legacy infrastructure can become part of a modern, flexible, and low-carbon energy system.

“We’re engineers at heart,” said a member of the founding team. “But we’re also parents, consumers, and Albertans who want to help build a more resilient grid for everyone. FlexConnect is our way of doing that — practically, and with purpose.”

With FlexConnect, the energy transition isn’t just about the future. It’s happening right behind the freezer aisle.


This article is part of Innovation+ in the Plus 15, a special editorial series from the Calgary Innovation Peer Forum and Digital Journal that explores how Calgary-based companies are innovating.

Avatar photo

Calgary companies are transforming how they work, using new technology to boost efficiency, cut costs, and drive innovation. Using banners displayed throughout the city, Innovation+ in the Plus 15 is part of a living technology gallery — a collection of real-world projects that show how innovation is being put into practice.

You may also like:

Tech & Science

Digital Journal today announced it is forming an editorial advisory committee to deepen its coverage of the innovation economy.

Business

An American Airlines plane flies past a cellular tower disguised as a palm tree as it lands at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in...

Tech & Science

Soil-based microbial fuel cells (MFCs) operate like a battery — with an anode, cathode and electrolyte.

Social Media

Trump is widely expected to extend the deadline for TikTok to find a non-Chinese buyer or face a ban in the United States.