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PUF is excited about the Fortnightly Top Innovators 2021, because their stories are inspiring and uplifting. It's what we all need after a most trying and unusual pandemic time in our lives. It's about looking to the future and making it better.

The Electric Transportation Team works to address customer barriers to EV adoption and build out EV infrastructure. Over the last year, the team has worked to approve and implement the Colorado Transportation Electrification Plan.

During Winter Storm Uri and the power generation shortfall, the Real-Time Operations Team of 44 helped protect the Texas electric grid and prevent a statewide blackout, by complying with the Electric Reliability Council of Texas’s orders to shed load. They simultaneously worked to restore electricity to customers and devise innovative ways to rotate power outages among customers.

The Gas Research, Development, and Demonstration Program Team develops and demonstrates products and technologies that promote decarbonization across the natural gas value chain and a diversified portfolio of clean energy sources, distributed networks, tools, and applications.

Their contributions helped PPL to use Dynamic Line Rating technology successfully to address congestion and market efficiency issues.

The Microgrids and Resiliency Team develops and executes regulations, tariffs, and programs for microgrids to enhance resiliency of the electric grid and reduce barriers for microgrid deployment. Their work has streamlined the interconnection process to ease customer burdens for microgrid installation while maintaining the safety of customers and utility workers, and empowered local and tribal governments looking to leverage microgrids as part of their resiliency planning.

APS introduced a targeted fast-track emergency air conditioning program in 2020 to support vulnerable customers with heat relief and partnered to help provide various heat-relief assistance.

Conversations with this year’s Extraordinarily Inspiring Innovators: Arizona Public Service’s Jim Holbrook, Miguel Bravo and Christine Helmuth, California Public Utility Commission’s Commissioner Genevieve Shiroma, Leuwam Tesfai and Forest Kaser, CenterPoint Energy’s Eric Easton and David Mercado, PPL’s Horst Lehmann and Eric Rosenberger, Southern California Gas’ Eric Coene, Matt Gregori and Ron Kent, and Xcel Energy’s Nadia El Mallakh.

An entrepreneur, engineer, and inventor, George Westinghouse competed against his contemporary, Thomas Edison, working to develop and market the use of alternating current for electric power distribution in the early 1880s. Years before that, Westinghouse was just like many of the men and women chronicled in PUF’s new book “Front Lines to Power Lines.” In fact, he was one of the first veterans in energy.

This panel looked toward the future of technology in the energy and utilities industry, bringing together three of our industries' top young minds being celebrated this year.