Categories

Projects in which electricity producers have improved power generation efficiency and/or capacity by developing and implementing advanced and innovative technology and solutions into an existing or new power plant. Things to consider include reduced operational or deferred capital expenditures, carbon and other emissions reductions, life extension, and plant uprates.

Projects in which electricity producers have utilised renewable power generation and new business offerings to meet growing customer demand for cleaner energy options. This can include system expansion to a hybrid model, utilisation of blockchain or peer to peer trading facilitation, utility-facilitated residential storage or a complete restructuring of a business model to accommodate increased renewables on the grid.

Projects demonstrating the growth and development of microgrids for energy access driven by a need for greater grid reliability, more distributed energy resources, or more generation to allow power producers and their customers better control of energy costs. Projects should include the latest developments in design, implementation, operation and regulation of microgrids or the addition of energy storage, distributed generation or other DER solutions to increase grid stability; reduce operational or defer capital expenditure, or enhance energy security and supply.

Projects demonstrating the use/inclusion/adaption of energy systems and applications as a resiliency tool to provide essential services such as education, healthcare, food and water. 

Water, gas or electricity AMI projects and applications that have significantly improved utility operations, resource management, efficiency, revenue collection and customer satisfaction in the past 24 months.

Projects that have improved on the way grid owners/operators or electricity generators collect, handle, analyse, share, protect and optimise data, leading to improvements in actionable intelligence and data-driven decision making.

Utilities that have successfully integrated a demand response programme for better energy efficiency, or which have seen consistent improvement in demand management of electricity or water.

Utilities or energy service providers that have most increased the level of customer satisfaction through enhanced or new services - including new and/or improved billing/payment models - and how these results were achieved. This may include the addition of prosumers onto the network or facilitated the integration of electric vehicles, blockchain or other customer engagement offerings into their business.

These models should be exemplary in their fields which can be in the form of traditional financing models, FinTech and interactive platforms such as crowdfunding that attribute to the development of small, medium and large-scale power projects. 

Technological advancements across the power and energy value chain (generation; transmission; distribution), which are directly linked to e-mobility (vehicle-to-grid), batteries, tools and applications to improve overall outputs in the field and in the control room.

Projects are undertaken as part of a smart city initiative that has driven an integrated energy, water or gas system as part of an overall city plan. Initiatives can include increased access to data that has led to energy/water or gas savings or enhanced management, or the overall implementation of a water, gas or electricity management and/or supply programme.

These visionary industry influencers are innovative in their leadership approaches and strategies to improve the greater power and energy value chain on a regional and global level. Their influential role should be setting benchmarks in their respective organisations, industry sectors including, but not limited to, project design and development, engineering, technology and innovation, data related projects, legislation and finance.