ComEd
Gil Quiniones leads ComEd, an Exelon company, which powers the lives of more than nine million residents in Chicago and across most of northern Illinois. He is responsible for the management of an electric grid that delivers safe, reliable electricity to customers and for empowering them to manage their energy use. Under Gil’s leadership as President and CEO, ComEd was named the most reliable utility in America by PA Consulting. Before joining ComEd, Quiniones served more than a decade as president and CEO of the New York Power Authority (NYPA), the nation’s largest state-owned electric utility.
As traditional, large-scale transmission projects face extended permitting cycles and land-use constraints, utility leaders are turning toward distributed infrastructure to meet rising clean energy demand. Leveraging existing commercial assets, such as warehouse rooftops and retail centers, allows utilities to incrementally expand capacity where customer demand is highest.
ComEd, along with Public Storage and Solar Landscape announced a partnership to transform underutilized rooftop space into community solar projects across northern Illinois, expanding access to affordable clean energy, creating jobs, and helping residents lower electricity costs. Once completed, the 60-site portfolio is expected to generate enough electricity annually to power approximately 6,150 households and deliver an estimated $750,000 in annual customer savings, totaling more than $36 million over the life of the projects.
Public Utilities Fortnightly Executive Editor Rachel Bryant discussed with ComEd CEO Gil Quiniones how commercial rooftop solar is reshaping modern grid planning. Balancing large-scale capital investments with strict customer affordability mandates, Quiniones offered insights for utility executives and state regulators seeking to cost-effectively integrate distributed clean energy assets.