WASHINGTON (May 04, 2022) — The Edison Electric Institute (EEI) today announced seven U.S. and two international electric companies as finalists for the 2022 Edison Award. Presented annually, the Edison Award recognizes electric companies for their distinguished leadership, innovation, and contribution to the advancement of the electric power industry.
In March, an independent panel of reviewers met to evaluate the nominations and selected The AES Corporation, Exelon Corporation, Green Mountain Power, PPL Electric Utilities, Public Service Electric & Gas, San Diego Gas & Electric, and WEC Energy Group as finalists for this year’s Edison Award. ATCO and National Grid were named finalists for the International Edison Award.
“EEI’s member companies continue to lead the clean energy transition that is directly benefiting the customers and the communities we so proudly serve,” said EEI President Tom Kuhn. “The companies selected have done tremendous work to create new technologies and to establish programs that are creating a cleaner global economy, improving reliability and resilience, and minimizing cost impacts for all customers. Each is exceptionally deserving to be recognized as an Edison Award finalist.”
The winners of the 94th Edison Award will be selected by a panel of former electric company chief executives and will be announced during EEI’s annual thought leadership forum in June.
Edison Award Finalists
- The AES Corporation – Department of Defense PMRF Microgrid
In March 2021, the AES Corporation completed a first-of-its-kind clean energy microgrid for the U.S. Department of Defense. Located at the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) on Kauai, Hawaii, the PMRF microgrid marks the first time a 24/7 renewable energy solution is being used to ensure around-the-clock mission readiness, utilizing an innovative microgrid control strategy and new technology to provide islanding, seamless transitions, and black-start capabilities solely from clean energy.
- Exelon Corporation – Energy Assistance Program
Throughout the global COVID-19 pandemic, Exelon Corporation advocated for policies, used data-driven approaches, leveraged community partnerships, and developed out-of-the-box strategies to connect its customers to energy assistance. In total, Exelon successfully connected more than 650,000 customers to $450 million in energy assistance.
- Green Mountain Power – Frequency Regulation Pilot Program
Green Mountain Power (GMP) is the first electric company to be able to network residential batteries to help keep the energy grid balanced, which is critical for reliability and safety. GMP’s pilot program unlocks the potential of home batteries as a virtual power plant to transform the grid, reducing carbon emissions and cutting costs. GMP is also the first electric company to island using only renewable energy and battery backup. The project uses inverters and grounding banks in an innovative way to keep the lights on for dozens in Panton, Vermont, when the greater grid is down.
- PPL Electric Utilities – Power Pole Inspection Program
PPL Electric Utilities (PPL EU) has implemented a first-of-its kind resistance drill-based inspection program for wooden power poles that quantifies the strength of poles and detects internal and external decay. Using resistance drill-based wood pole inspection technology, PPL EU ran three pilot programs to map the extent of the external decay condition, and then developed parameters for software improvements and tested a new drill bit design to calculate decay automatically.
- Public Service Electric & Gas – Energy Strong
Following Superstorm Sandy in 2012, Public Service Electric & Gas (PSE&G) launched and executed its historic infrastructure modernization program, which is investing more than $3.3 billion to fortify New Jersey’s electric and natural gas infrastructure against future storms. In 2021, PSE&G announced it would be investing an additional $842 million through 2023 to further strengthen its statewide electric and natural gas systems to better withstand storms, improve reliability, and significantly enhance resilience.
- San Diego Gas & Electric – Cleveland National Forest Fire Hardening and Safety Project
The Cleveland National Forest Fire Hardening and Safety (CNF) project encompassed a variety of wood-to-steel power pole conversions, strategic undergrounding, and the replacement of conductor with more fire-resistant equipment throughout approximately 880 square miles of rugged terrain in eastern San Diego County, including the communities of Campo, Descanso, Julian, Mount Laguna, Pauma Valley, and Pine Valley—areas with some of the highest fire risk.
- WEC Energy Group – System Modernization and Reliability Project
WEC Energy Group’s System Modernization and Reliability Project is a leading-edge undertaking that has resulted in a remarkable 97-percent reduction in electric outage minutes in areas where overhead lines have been replaced with 2,000 miles of underground cable. The $425-million project, which concluded in 2021, was an eight-year effort to improve energy grid reliability for more than 100,000 Wisconsin customers.
International Edison Award Finalists
- ATCO – Old Crow Solar Project
In August 2021, ATCO announced the completion of Canada’s northernmost off-grid solar project, significantly reducing diesel use in the remote Yukon community of Old Crow and providing it with clean energy for decades to come. To complete the Sree Vyàa project (“sun snare” in the local Gwich'in language), the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation and ATCO developed a first-of-its-kind Electricity Purchase Agreement that is a model for effective collaboration in the electric power industry. This model can be used as a blueprint to replicate and accelerate the transition to clean energy in Canada’s remote Indigenous communities.
- National Grid – North Sea Link
The United Kingdom (UK) and Norway are now able to share renewable energy across the longest subsea electricity interconnector in the world. National Grid’s and Statnett’s €1.6-billion (approximately $1.7 billion USD) North Sea Link (NSL) started commercial operations on October 1, 2021, marking a major milestone in the UK’s and Norway’s journeys to net zero. By enabling the trade of renewable energy between the two countries for the first time, it is estimated that NSL will help the UK to avoid 23 million tons of carbon emissions by 2030, and it will provide enough clean electricity to power 1.4 million homes.
Learn more about the 2022 Edison Award finalists in the latest issue of Electric Perspectives.
