Some Great Teams of Utility Innovators
Fortnightly Top Innovators
Out of 88 nominations, 23 teams earned Fortnightly Top Innovators awards.
Fortnightly Magazine - September 2024
Utility CEOs on 'Tightrope' at NARUC Summer Summit
NARUC
PUF brings a look at a General Session that was divided into four panels, with the title, “The Tightrope: Utility CEOs’ Balancing Act.” In those four panels, utility CEOs faced Commissioners and a Consumer Advocate to discuss how they balance new resource investments and grid modernization, while ensuring reliability and reasonable rates. The CEOs grappled with tough questions, including how decisions are made concerning how and when to operationalize new initiatives, and whether communication and engagement levels are adequate.
NARUC: Tightrope One
American Water
"We’ve been vocal at the federal level to develop a permanent funding mechanism for a low-income water assistance program, just like in the electric and gas industry. LIHEAP has been around forever and it’s a meaningful program. We don’t have anything similar on the water side."
NARUC: Tightrope Two
TECO Peoples Gas
“With all the growth in the State of Florida, we have to work hard to build our system and our infrastructure in a proven way, so that we are making sure the investments are sensible, economic, and translate into rates that can be affordable over time.”
NARUC: Tightrope Three
Xcel Energy
“As we’re moving through this clean energy transition, we have to invest in our distribution system and transmission, so we should explore new ways to communicate and collaborate with our Commissions and have conversations about where we’re going because the world is changing faster than it has in the past.”
NARUC: Tightrope Four
Exelon
“When you file an annual rate case, you can’t have a direct conversation with regulators because you have an ongoing case. But when you lay out a two, three, or four-year plan, and have stakeholders engage, everyone knows what’s coming and there’s a level of transparency. Now, you are engaging in strategic discussions with regulators.”
Public Safety Power Shutoffs and Water Treatment Plants
Veolia Water
“We’re concerned, too, from a water utility standpoint on fire mitigation because one of the main missions of a water utility in a community is to provide water for fire protection.”
Building the PSC Workforce
Supporting PUC Staff Development
“One major project to help improve general knowledge about the work conducted at PUCs is the NARUC ‘Day in the Life’ campaign. This video series was produced by NARUC to highlight the benefits and value of working for a PUC at the forefront of the transforming energy landscape.”
UK's Biggest Energy Provider with a Leg in North America
Octopus Energy
“The idea is technology and digitalization should be a deflationary force to enable better value and experience at the same time. We used to think to improve service, costs had to increase. But Amazon and Uber showed that dramatically better service can come with lower costs.”
Multiple Key Roles at New York PSC
New York PSC
“We constantly take on new challenges and opportunities, including achieving a clean electric grid by 2040, new regulatory models like utility thermal energy networks, and building out of the transmission system to meet the state’s goals.”