Top Honors Awarded to ComEd, National Grid, Southern Company, TS Conductor, and Veolia
WASHINGTON, D.C., Oct. 30, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Five organizations — ComEd, National Grid, Southern Company, TS Conductor, and Veolia — have been named winners of the 2026 Fortnightly Top Innovators Awards. Their winning projects demonstrate practical, high-impact innovation across some of the utility industry’s most pressing challenges, including grid modernization, resilience, AI and cybersecurity, resource stewardship, and load growth.
For the first time in the award program’s history, ceremony attendees selected one of the five category winners as the Top Innovator of the Year through a live vote, awarding the distinction to National Grid (with Viridi Parente and Good Carbon Co.).
Presented by Public Utilities Fortnightly (PUF), and powered by the Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA), these awards recognize innovations with measurable results and potential for broader industry application.
“For ten years, Fortnightly Top Innovators has reflected PUF’s role as a trusted source among industry insiders on the sector’s latest innovations, recognizing the organizations and individuals advancing our industry through ingenuity, leadership, and results,” said Rachel Bryant, PUF’s Executive Editor. “This year’s honorees reflect the breadth of innovation underway to build a more flexible, reliable, and affordable energy system — from modernizing critical infrastructure to developing new approaches to customer service and resource management. We’re proud to celebrate the people and organizations turning ambitious ideas into meaningful progress.”
“The energy industry is navigating extraordinary change, from rising electricity demand to growing expectations for reliability, resilience, and affordability. What makes this year’s Top Innovators stand out is that they’re not simply identifying challenges. They’re delivering solutions that work, with lessons and applications that can benefit the broader industry. That’s the kind of leadership and practical innovation we need to recognize, share, and build upon,” said Sheri Givens, President and CEO of SEPA.
A panel of energy executive leaders, technical subject-matter experts, and PUF editorial leadership determined this year’s winners and finalists. Nominations were evaluated on a 100-point scale across four criteria: business impact and ROI, technological boldness, scalability and viability, and category alignment.
Winners were honored at the Fortnightly Top Innovators awards ceremony and dinner on October 29, 2026, in Washington D.C.
To learn more about the 2026 Fortnightly Top Innovators winners and finalists, please visit pufinnovators.com/winners-2026/.
2026 Fortnightly Top Innovators
This year’s awards honor measurable progress across five categories, each named for a pioneering historical figure:
Top Innovator of the Year
Clean Baseload, Gas Generation & Load Shaping — Lisa Meitner Award
National Grid’s (with Viridi Parente and Good Carbon Co.) From Housing to Grid Resource: The Good Carbon / Viridi Demand Flexibility Project
The Good Carbon–Viridi project demonstrates a new model for meeting growing electricity demand: transforming customer buildings from passive loads into flexible resources that can actively support the grid. At Good Carbon’s Peace Bridge Apartments, Viridi’s 3.75 MWh battery system integrates with smart thermostats and intelligent controls to reduce peak demand, lower operating costs and respond to National Grid dispatch signals during periods of grid stress. During demand-response events, the system can reduce net building consumption below zero, turning the property into a temporary energy resource for the local network. By pairing building electrification with dispatchable demand flexibility, the project demonstrates how customers can adopt technologies such as electric heating and EV charging while also helping utilities manage peak demand and congestion. The result is a replicable Building-to-Grid model that makes customer electrification part of the solution to grid capacity, affordability and decarbonization challenges.
“As electricity demand grows, we need innovative ways to make the most of existing grid infrastructure while keeping service reliable and affordable for customers. The Good Carbon–Viridi project shows what’s possible when customers, technology providers, and utilities work togther—using smart controls, battery storage, and demand flexibility to turn buildings into active grid resources. It offers a replicable model that creates customer value while reducing pressure on the system,” said Sabina Zafar, VP of Connections and Strategic Accounts.
Leadership in Innovation — George Westinghouse Award
ComEd’s Beneficial Electrification Electric Vehicle Dealer and Service Provider Networks
ComEd’s Beneficial Electrification Electric Vehicle (EV) Dealer and EV Service Provider Networks represent a market-driven, scalable approach to accelerating transportation electrification. By integrating education, incentives, and qualified provider support directly into vehicle purchasing and charging infrastructure development, ComEd addresses critical customer barriers and expands access to clean transportation solutions. ComEd has engaged more than 180 dealerships and 150 service providers, supported over $44 million in dealer-assisted rebates, enabled the deployment of more than 14,700 charging ports, and incentivized over 4,000 fleet EVs. Notably, 94% of dealer-supported rebates benefited Low-Income or Equity Investment Eligible Communities. Collectively, these investments contributed to reducing more than 460,000 metric tons of carbon emissions while expanding equitable access, reducing customer friction, and strengthening market capacity.
“This recognition reflects ComEd’s commitment to making it easier and more affordable for customers to adopt electric vehicles by simplifying access to incentives and connecting customers with qualified service providers,” said Melissa Washington, senior vice president of government, regulatory and external affairs. “We’re honored to receive this award and remain focused on expanding transportation electrification opportunities that help customers, support Illinois’ clean energy goals and deliver lasting benefits to the
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