Who Are Your Innovation Heroes?

For the third November in a row, Public Utilities Fortnightly will publish a special issue dedicated to our industry’s top innovators. Sponsored by EPRI, we’ll highlight and celebrate the individuals and teams who made a significant difference for utility customers by developing and putting into operation their innovative equipment, tools, software, methods, procedures, creative ideas, etc.

That is, in this last twelve months, the threshold question is: did an individual or a team meaningfully move the ball towards making operational an innovation that will really improve utility service in the public interest?

We’ve started. We’re now reaching out to every PUF member organization — utilities, commissions, advocates, associations, vendors and professional firms — and circulating this year’s nomination form and encouraging the broadest participation.

This year’s nomination form is new and improved, in a few dimensions. It’s more specific about the info we need on the innovation and on the innovators. And the form requests, right up-front, pics of the innovation in action. Such as pics of when it’s being worked on, back at the lab, or the office, where ever. Or pics of when it’s helping front-line workers. Or when it’s helping utility customers directly.

The PUF team plans to talk with each of the Fortnightly Top Innovator finalists. Then we’ll tell their inspiring stories in the special issue this November. It should be a blast. We’ll lay out what motivated these creative geniuses. And what’s most rewarding about the innovation. And where do they go from here.   

Tell us about the most extraordinary of your colleagues who are literally remaking our industry. Let’s see to it — together, you and PUF — that everyone learns about these heroes.