Exelon Leads the Industry with Three Top Innovator Awards
Innovation
At Exelon, innovation isn’t just a buzzword – it’s a commitment to transforming the energy landscape for our customers, communities, and the future. That commitment has been recognized in a big way this year, as Exelon and its operating companies received three prestigious Innovation Awards from Public Utilities Fortnightly’s Top Innovators 2025 – more than any other utility.
These awards celebrate groundbreaking work in transmission technologies, electrification, and AI-powered grid inspections. Each project reflects the ingenuity, collaboration, and customer-first mindset that drives Exelon’s mission to deliver clean, reliable, and resilient energy.
Below are the three award-winning innovations for 2025 and the teams behind them.
Florence Fogler Top Innovator in Energy Transmission Technologies
Awarded to BGE’s Interphase Spacer Innovation Team Members:
Danilo Policastro, Robert May, David Outen, Carol Dodson
At BGE, a critical transmission corridor near Baltimore’s Key Bridge area was facing a persistent reliability challenge. High wind events caused asynchronous conductor galloping, making the wires sway and come into close proximity to one another, leading to momentary outages that disrupted critical service to hospitals, data centers, and other sensitive customers.
To address this, BGE’s team developed a groundbreaking Interphase Spacer Innovation that redefined how utilities manage wind-induced conductor movement. BGE identified an issue with the as-designed equipment while test-fitting components on their mock-up span and worked to invert the design to allow for natural self-restoration of the swing which will avoid premature wear and failure.
The operational impact includes:
- Zero outages in the 12 months since installation
- Tier 1 metric improvement in wind tolerance
- $50,000 in projected cost savings over five years
- No need for proactive line shutdowns during wind events
This innovation not only improved reliability for critical infrastructure customers, it also delivers a scalable, proven solution for utilities nationwide. By solving a long-standing issue with a simple yet effective design change, BGE’s team has set a new standard in transmission resilience and operational efficiency.
William Hammer Top Innovator in Electrification
Awarded to ComEd’s Beneficial Electrification Programs Team Members:
Daryl Richardson, Jordan Losiak, Kyriakos Anastasopoulos, Tom Skawski, Violeta Ryman, Cristina Botero, Denise Munoz
ComEd’s transportation electrification programs are setting a new standard for equitable electrification. Launched in February 2024, these programs have helped accelerate EV adoption in Illinois at a rate 3-4 times faster than the national average.
What makes these programs truly innovative is their focus on equity. To date, 80% of rebates for EV charging infrastructure and fleet electric vehicles have been paid to low-income customers or those in Equity Investment Eligible Communities (EIECs) – a groundbreaking achievement in the EV space.
The operational impact includes:
9,000+ new EV charging ports energized across northern Illinois (about one new port every 2 hours)
Nearly 3,000 fleet EVs incentivized, including over 100 heavy duty trucks and buses
Estimated 420,000 metric tons of CO₂ emissions avoided, equivalent to 78 million gallons of fuel
An estimated $55 million+ in net societal benefits, including public health improvements and customer cost savings
This success is the result of close collaboration between ComEd and its partners as we collectively work to pave the way for a cleaner energy future.
Edison Pioneers Award for Collaboration in Innovation
Awarded to Exelon & BGE’s AI Drone Innovation with Deloitte Team Members:
Ankush Agarwal, Andrew McCauley, Blake Alexander
In partnership with Deloitte and NVIDIA, Exelon and BGE have launched a first-of-its-kind AI-powered autonomous drone inspection system – a transformative leap in utility field operations.
This multi-phase initiative combines real-time computer vision, edge computing, and synthetic data modeling to inspect grid assets faster, safer, and more accurately than ever before.
Key innovations include:
AI model training using NVIDIA Omniverse
Edge deployment with Jetson modules for autonomous defect detection
GIS integration for correcting asset data
Real-time insights delivered via tablets and XR headsets
The operational impact includes:
Inspection planning time reduced from 1 hour to 30 seconds
Real-time defect detection and prioritization
Weeks of manual photo sorting eliminated
Improved safety and reduced outages
This project sets a new benchmark for how AI and automation can revolutionize grid reliability, emergency response, and customer experience.
Leading the Way Forward
These three awards are more than accolades: they’re a testament to the innovation culture at Exelon and across our operating companies. From transmission reliability to equitable electrification and AI-driven operations, our teams are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible to deliver smarter, cleaner, and more resilient energy solutions.
We’re proud of the innovators who made these projects possible and honored to be recognized as industry leaders. As we look ahead, Exelon remains committed to driving progress that benefits all our customers and communities.
To learn more about the innovative work being done at Exelon, visit the Innovation page here.