The Electric Power Research Institute has recognized eight Pepco Holdings employees with Technology Transfer Awards for their innovative work on projects to improve the customer experience at Atlantic City Electric, Delmarva Power and Pepco.
EPRI gives the awards annually to energy company employees who have explored and implemented innovative technologies on behalf of their company and the industry. This year’s awards ceremony was held Feb. 12 in San Antonio.
“Our employees are working every day to bring forward new processes, products and services that are redefining the energy experience for our customers,” said Dave Velazquez, Pepco Holdings president/CEO. “It is a pleasure to work alongside some of the most innovative minds in our industry, and in the world.”
Sunil Jain, senior project manager, Subhash Chauhan, senior engineer, and Scott Tjaden, innovation technology specialist, were part of a team of employees, including fellow Exelon companies ComEd and PECO, that helped lead a research demonstration project to install more than 250 energy management circuit breakers.
The devices allow energy providers and customers to monitor and control electricity use, across 12 utilities, at over 60 sites and in 19 states. This demonstration project has vetted EMCB’s for multiple use cases, identified installation challenges and helped to test the data collection system and associated tools.
Oai Tran, senior engineer, and Amrita Acharya-Menon, general engineer, were part of a team of employees, including from fellow Exelon company ComEd, recognized for their process for using smart inverter control to support increased customer-owned solar.
The use of the technology allows customers to connect their solar PV system to the local energy grid, while preventing back feed from affecting devices that are in place to protect the grid from damage.
Barbara Gonzalez, principal business program manager, Delvone Nicholson-Meade, principal business program manager, and Rob Stewart, manager of smart grid and technology, were recognized for their work in developing the program offerings for several Transportation Electrification filings by Atlantic City Electric, Delmarva Power and Pepco in 2018.
“Pepco Holdings’ Technology Transfer Award recipients have demonstrated the collaborative ingenuity needed to address some of the electric industry’s most pressing challenges,” said Arshad Mansoor, EPRI senior vice president of Research and Development. “Their contributions will help shape the future energy system for the benefit of their company, the industry and society.”