WASHINGTON (May 09, 2024) — The Edison Electric Institute (EEI) today announced the domestic and international electric company finalists for the 2024 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 April, an independent panel of reviewers met to evaluate the nominations and selected Eversource Energy’s SmartInspect platform, Eversource Energy’s South Fork Wind project, PPL Electric Utilities’ early fault detection technology, and Southern Company’s Plant Vogtle Unit 3 as domestic finalists. The AES Corporation, EDP Renewables, and National Power Company Ukrenergo were selected as international finalists.
“The pace of innovation being driven by EEI’s member electric companies is astonishing,” said EEI President and CEO Dan Brouillette. “The companies selected as Edison Award finalists are developing and applying new technologies that can go on to be utilized to benefit customers. Each finalist is tremendously deserving of this recognition.”
The domestic and international winners of the 96th Edison Award will be selected by a panel of former electric company chief executives and will be announced during EEI 2024, EEI’s annual thought leadership forum, to be held June 18-20 at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas.
Edison Award Finalists
Eversource Energy – SmartInspect
Eversource Energy launched the SmartInspect platform in 2022 to streamline inspections of its 4,000-mile transmission and distribution networks. Using advanced image recognition and artificial intelligence algorithms, the cloud-enabled platform improves efficiency and accuracy, centralizes data collection and analysis efforts, and automatically identifies potential system defects.
Eversource Energy – South Fork Wind
The South Fork Wind project—the first large-scale, offshore wind installation in the United States—is a 12-turbine, 132-megawatt wind farm located off the coast of East Hampton, New York. It was built as a joint venture between Eversource Energy and Ørsted. Eversource Energy was actively involved in the planning, permitting, design, and construction of this first-of-its-kind renewable energy project for the United States.
PPL Electric Utilities – Early Fault Detection Technology
PPL Electric Utilities (PPL Electric) launched a project in late 2021 with the goal of improving worker and public safety, system reliability, and operational efficiency by proactively identifying failing electrical components using new and emerging technologies. After identifying early fault detection technology as a promising solution, the company has committed to installing it network wide. The technology relies on machine learning, data analysis, and a collection of sensors that survey infrastructure for the emittance of radio frequencies. PPL Electric developed a strategy to have the sensors continually monitor infrastructure, identifying defects in real-time within approximately 30 feet of their location.
Southern Company – Plant Vogtle Unit 3
Plant Vogtle Unit 3, the first newly constructed nuclear energy plant to be built in the United States in more than 30 years, entered commercial operation in July 2023. Capable of powering an estimated 500,000 homes and businesses, the new unit represents a long-term investment in Georgia’s clean energy future. It will provide reliable, affordable, and resilient clean energy to the state’s residents and businesses for decades to come, serving as a 24/7 carbon-free energy source that can help supplement renewable energy resources.
International Edison Award Finalists
AES Corporation (El Salvador) – Meanguera del Golfo
For 25 years, AES has provided access to safe, equitable, affordable, and sustainable energy in El Salvador and its remote communities. The latest and the first-of-its-kind in Latin America, the AES Meanguera del Golfo Plant pioneers the concept of distributed generation integrated with state-of-the-art battery storage technology to deliver uninterrupted, carbon-free electricity to isolated island communities previously reliant on an unpredictable underwater electricity grid. The plant’s 1,929 solar panels capture sunlight during the day, and the 208 solar-charged batteries enable continued distribution to the nearly 800 families living in El Salvador’s Meanguera del Golfo, Conchagüita, and Zacatillo islands. The project transformed the local energy infrastructure and fostered environmental preservation, economic prosperity, and social development.
EDP (Portugal) – Alqueva Park
EDP’s Alqueva Park—an innovative hybrid hydropower, floating solar, and battery storage project in southern Portugal—represents Europe’s largest floating solar energy production facility in a dam reservoir. Located in Europe’s largest artificial lake, the project consists of 12,000 solar panels supported by 25,000 floats, which can generate 7.5 gigawatt-hours of renewable clean energy each year. That’s roughly 30 percent of the annual energy usage of the region, the equivalent of around 1,500 households. In partnership with local stakeholders, the majority of the reservoir area was left free for neighboring communities to use for recreational purposes and fishing tied to the local economy, providing a “win-win” for the community and the environment.
National Power Company Ukrenergo (Ukraine) – Comprehensive Approach to Restoration and Protection of Power Facilities
National Power Company Ukrenergo (NPC Ukrenergo) developed and implemented an innovative and comprehensive approach to power restoration and the protection of critical energy infrastructure amid Russian attacks on the Ukrainian energy grid. In 2023, NPC Ukrenergo implemented key technical measures and finalized the procedure for transition to the permanent synchronous operation with the European Continental grid. Later that year, the company attained the status of a full-fledged member of the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity.
