People

“This innovative approach in terms of efficiency, affordability, and reliability has been game changing. We are able to address more than ten times as many cable systems annually, leave seventy-five percent of cables in the ground, and our reliability is comparable to new systems.”

“These remarkable teams and leaders reflect every dimension of our industry’s transformation. Each award honors an innovator whose historic achievements continue to inspire today’s breakthroughs. Their stories, and those of this year’s winners remind us that progress in energy is always powered by imagination and collaboration.”

The Tulane Future of Energy Forum was held from September 10-12 at Tulane University in New Orleans. Leaders in energy innovation, policy, and technology gathered to explore this year’s theme of Powering the Future: Innovation, Competition, and Collaboration.

Leaders in the energy and utilities industry took center stage at RE+ in Las Vegas, September 9-12, 2025, the nation’s largest clean energy gathering. More than forty thousand attendees filled the Venetian Expo and Convention Center, where several panels explored the most pressing issues at the intersection of utilities, industry, and regulation.

“This innovation allows us to move from reactive response to proactive prediction and prevention, safeguarding our communities, environment, and critical infrastructure that powers our lives. It’s a model for the nation.”

“Part of that planning is understanding the reliability impacts of future resource mixes. We want to make sure the plan we build is going to be reliable under a wide range of conditions the system might face.”

“The acquisition of Rayburn Energy Station marked our first major step into local, dispatchable natural gas generation, and the planned RES II expansion builds on that. These projects redefine what it means for a G&T cooperative to lead through reliability investment.”

“It’s been rewarding, seeing how the work in energy efficiency and in demand-side management is contributing to keeping the lights on in Ontario when grid demand is high.”

“This pilot showed that virtual power plants can evolve beyond simple peak-shaving into flexible, dispatchable assets that support grid reliability and affordability.”

“The real leap happened when we created a dedicated GIS team and gave them the resources and time to push the technology further. The result is a common operating platform for the entire company.”