Four Trailblazing Women in Energy
Culture
The work that women do for our business and throughout our industry ensures that Exelon is the nation’s leading energy provider and that we continue powering a cleaner and brighter future for our customers and communities.
Women’s History Month offers a chance to celebrate and honor the remarkable achievements and contributions of women who have shaped our past and present, and whose innovations will shape our future. This Women’s History Month, we’re highlighting four energy trailblazers. These talented and inspiring leaders paved the way for women in the energy sector and beyond. Their ingenuity and contributions have also served as a catalyst for the current energy transformation.
Edith Clarke
Edith Clarke (1883-1959) was a pioneer as an electrical engineer. She invented a graphical calculator that helped simplify the calculations needed to solve long electrical transmission line problems. Clarke’s expertise helped to build the turbine systems that convert waterpower into electricity inside the Hoover Dam and similar hydroelectric facilities. She was the first woman to hold a professional position as an electrical engineer, the first female professor of electrical engineering and the first woman to earn a master’s in electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Clarke was also the first female engineer inducted into the Inventors Hall of Fame.
Mária Telkes
Mária Telkes (1900 -1995) was a biophysicist and one of the world’s most impactful scientific innovators in the solar energy sector, where she was both a leading advocate and inventor. Her work included the invention of the solar stove. She was also one of the first to build and develop solar-heated houses which paved the way for the solar energy market as it exists today. She earned the nickname the “Sun Queen” because of her innovative efforts in solar-thermal storage systems.
Denise Gray
Denise Gray is a leading figure in spearheading efforts in electrical and powertrain system controls for vehicles. She helped the battery systems at General Motors that were integral to the development of the Chevrolet Volt, one of the first hybrid vehicles to reach the mass market. Her work has helped advance automotive and battery innovation along with sustainable energy solutions. Gray’s career has pushed EV battery technology forward by designing production battery systems for companies such as Volvo, Stellantis, and Ford. In 2019, she received the U.S. Clean Energy Education and Empowerment Initiative’s Lifetime Achievement Award presented by the U.S. Department of Energy and in 2022, was elected to the National Academy of Engineering.
Lei Cheng
Lei Cheng is a group leader for the Energy Storage and Conversion Group at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. She was previously a chemist at the Argonne National Laboratory and worked in its Materials Science division, where she developed materials for next-generation batteries. Her work has focused on developing new, safer generation of batteries. Cheng’s research and efforts have contributed to helping advance the electric vehicle transportation sector while also integrating new renewable energy possibilities for the electric grid. In 2018, she was received the Midwest Energy News’ 40 Under 40 Award.
