SEPA Announces 2020 Power Players Awards Finalists

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA) announced the finalists for the 2020 SEPA Power Players Awards in recognition of their groundbreaking efforts in project or program design, unique partnerships, stakeholder engagement, and more.The SEPA Power Players Awards celebrate innovation and collaboration by the utilities, industry partners, and individuals who are providing the vision, models, and momentum driving the electric power industry’s smart transition to a clean, modern energy system. The 2020 awards include the following nomination categories: Individual Power Player, Investor-Owned Utility, Public Power Utility, and Electric Cooperative of the Year. SEPA added new award categories this year to reflect the four SEPA pathways to a carbon-free energy system by 2050: Grid Integration, Utility Business Models, Regulatory Innovation, and Transportation Electrification.This year’s 24 finalists were selected from a record-breaking competitive field of over 100 nominations. SEPA intends to announce winners for each of the eight award categories in July.“Addressing climate change is becoming more and more urgent as the weeks, months and years go by” said Julia Hamm, SEPA President, and CEO. “SEPA’s Power Player Awards are designed to highlight the innovative projects, partnerships, individuals, and ideas transforming the way we generate and deliver electricity, leading us towards a carbon-free energy system. This innovation and leadership are more necessary now than ever as we face new challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.”Blue Planet Energy is happy to be honored as one of the various stakeholders who developed the Basalt Vista Affordable Housing Project, a SEPA 2020 Grid Integration Power Player of the Year Finalist.As the first net-zero, all-electric affordable housing community, the Basalt Vista affordable housing project is showcasing the next generation of grid integration possibilities. Developed as a partnership between government agencies, non-profits, private businesses, and utilities, Basalt Vista will consist of 27 all-electrical housing units, each outfitted with solar panels, energy storage systems, high-efficiency cold-climate heat pumps, and electric vehicle charging stations. The homes will act as microgrids that can operate independently, or can be leveraged and controlled in the aggregate by the local utility to coordinate load and generation on the electric grid.A list of the 24 SEPA Power Players Awards finalists and a summary of their nominations can be found here.