SEPA's 2024 Power Player Awards celebrate excellence and leadership in energy innovation. Nominate your project or team today!


A carbon-free energy future depends on innovation, leadership, and collaboration in the energy sector. SEPA, recognized as a catalyst for collaboration, is relaunching the Power Player Awards to recognize utilities, corporations, regulators, policymakers and other energy stakeholders who played an essential role in advancing actionable solutions to progress a carbon-free energy system. Aligned with SEPA’s commitment to addressing critical industry challenges, this year’s award categories are intricately tied to our five focus areas and Energy Equity.


In alignment with our commitment to driving industry progress, this year's Power Player Awards categories are intricately tied to our five critical focus areas identified by SEPA - Resilience, Transportation, Energy Storage, Emerging Technology, and Policy, along with Energy Equity, reflecting our collective efforts to address key challenges and advance towards shared goals.


Select your nomination(s) in this form and learn more about eligibility and details. Visit our website for additional program information.

Please review the following eligibility criteria and selection process for submitting a nomination.


Project period: Projects or initiatives must have been planned, piloted, or implemented between January 1, 2023 and December 31, 2023.


Target nominees: Utilities, corporations, regulators, policymakers and other energy stakeholders, project teams and/or individuals, are eligible.


Award acceptance: An executive representative from the winning company or the individual must be present to accept the award at the SEPA Power Players Awards ceremony, April 30th in Coronado, CA.


The selection process for all awards will consider three essential criteria: 

  • Innovation

  • Collaboration

  • Replicability


We are looking for projects and initiatives that not only showcase innovative solutions, but also demonstrate collaborative efforts and the potential for broader impact.


The panel of judges, composed of members from SEPA’s Research Advisory Council, Program Advisory Council, and SEPA’s internal subject matter experts, aims to eliminate bias and ensure an impartial and equitable evaluation process.


On the next page, you’ll fill out information about yourself and select which award you’d like to submit a nomination for.

Section 1: Your Contact Information and Nomination Selection


First, please fill in the form below with your contact information.







Power Player Award

Description

Examples

Resilience

The importance of energy resilience will only increase as grid disruptions from extreme weather events become more common and more severe. Our energy system must be able to withstand flooding, heatwaves, hurricanes and wildfires. 

Grid- and customer-scale solar PV, microgrids, advanced energy storage systems, vehicle-to-X

Transportation

The popularity of electric vehicles (EVs) and other low or no- carbon vehicles are transforming the transportation sector. Bringing together solar and other clean resources with vehicles, charging stations, and other vehicle-grid-integration technology will be critical to realize the potential of carbon-free electric mobility. 

Deployment of public EV charging infrastructure, V2G technologies, charging equipment incentive programs, fleet electrification programs

Emerging Technology 

Emerging energy technologies play a critical role in moving towards a fully decarbonized electric power system. These technologies span nearly all power system sectors and applications and include the advanced analytic techniques needed to make the best use of ever-expanding data sets.

Virtual Power Plants (VPPs), AI or ML applications, green hydrogen, Advanced Distribution Management System (ADMS), Distributed Energy Resource Management System (DERMS)

Policy 

Policy plays a crucial role in shaping the direction of the clean energy transition through federal and state legislation and regulations. Business models and regulatory frameworks, along with the underpinning policies, must evolve to further embrace innovation that is needed to reach a sustainable future.

Internal governance structures to manage climate change risks, integrated resource planning (IRP) efforts, alignment of customer programs with carbon reduction objectives

Energy Storage

Energy storage will be paramount to delivering consistent, reliable power as we harness the full potential of clean energy generation. Storage advancements in battery technologies and applications will allow us greater flexibility to align generation with load profiles, and to deliver clean energy when, where, and how it is needed. 

Utility-scale storage systems, customer battery incentive programs, use of long duration storage technologies, storage-specific incentivized rates

Equity

Equity in carbon reduction is about ensuring that the benefits and burdens of any policy or program are as fairly distributed as possible and that all groups have a say in decisions that affect them. 

Affordability, community solar projects, electrification support in underserved areas, community outreach programs, demand-side management programs for LI customers


Section 2: Nominee Information

Please fill in the form below for the Resilience Power Player of the Year award.

This award recognizes utilities, affiliated organizations, project teams, and/or individuals who have demonstrated unique innovation and leadership in efforts to advance Energy Resilience in the electric utility domain.


Please remember: an executive representative from the winning company or the individual must be present to accept the award at the Power Players Awards ceremony, April 30 in Coronado, CA.








Provide the contact information of someone from the nominee’s organization who can supply an endorsement or additional information.









Section 2: Nominee Information

Please fill in the form below for the Transportation Power Player of the Year award.

This award recognizes utilities, affiliated organizations, project teams, and/or individuals who have demonstrated unique innovation and leadership in efforts to advance Transportation Electrification in the electric utility domain.


Please remember: an executive representative from the winning company or the individual must be present to accept the award at the Power Players Awards ceremony, April 30 in Coronado, CA.








Provide the contact information of someone from the nominee’s organization who can supply an endorsement or additional information.









Section 2: Nominee Information

Please fill in the form below for the Emerging Technology Power Player of the Year award.

This award recognizes utilities, affiliated organizations, project teams and/or individuals who have demonstrated unique innovation and leadership in efforts to advance Emerging Technologies in the electric utility domain.


Please remember: an executive representative from the winning company or the individual must be present to accept the award at the Power Players Awards ceremony, April 30 in Coronado, CA.








Provide the contact information of someone from the nominee’s organization who can supply an endorsement or additional information.









Section 2: Nominee Information

Please fill in the form below for the Policy Power Player of the Year award.

This award recognizes utilities, affiliated organizations, project teams, and/or individuals who have demonstrated unique innovation and leadership in efforts to develop or implement new Policies, Business models, or Frameworks that advance the adoption of clean energy resources and help to achieve carbon reduction and clean energy goals.


Please remember: an executive representative from the winning company or the individual must be present to accept the award at the Power Players Awards ceremony, April 30 in Coronado, CA.








Provide the contact information of someone from the nominee’s organization who can supply an endorsement or additional information.









Section 2: Nominee Information

Please fill in the form below for the Energy Storage Power Player of the Year award.

This award recognizes utilities, affiliated organizations, project teams, and/or individuals who have demonstrated unique innovation and leadership in efforts to advance Energy Storage technologies in the electric utility domain.


Please remember: an executive representative from the winning company or the individual must be present to accept the award at the Power Players Awards ceremony, April 30 in Coronado, CA.








Provide the contact information of someone from the nominee’s organization who can supply an endorsement or additional information.









Section 2: Nominee Information

Please fill in the form below for the Equity Power Player of the Year award.

This award recognizes utilities, affiliated organizations, project teams, and/or individuals who have demonstrated unique innovation and leadership in efforts to advance Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) principles and programs - either at their own organizations or with their customers.


Please remember: an executive representative from the winning company or the individual must be present to accept the award at the Power Players Awards ceremony, April 30 in Coronado, CA.








Provide the contact information of someone from the nominee’s organization who can supply an endorsement or additional information.









Thank you for submitting a nomination to SEPA’s Power Player Awards!

 

 Nominations are open until March 7. Our panel of judges will then evaluate and determine winners and runner-ups. Finalists will be notified by our team in late March about the next steps.


Please refer to the SEPA website for additional information.