April 21, 2021
Holyoke Gas & Electric (HG&E) has been recognized as one of a handful of utilities nationwide for its leadership in transforming to a carbon-free energy system by the Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA) and is on the 2021 Utility Transformation Leaderboard. This is a significant recognition and only ten utilities, including Southern California Edison, Green Mountain Power and Consolidated Edison of New York (see complete list below), were cited for their leadership in carbon reduction.
According to SEPA, the transformation requires much more than clean energy generation. The national organization launched the inaugural Utility Transformation Challenge to make a comprehensive, honest assessment of U.S. electric utilities’ progress toward a modern, carbon-free energy system.
SEPA conducted and analyzed multiple surveys designed to measure meaningful progress across multiple dimensions of utility infrastructure, programs, strategy and operations. Survey responses were received from 135 individual utilities, representing more than 83 million customer accounts, or approximately 63% of all U.S. electric customer accounts. The report examines the utility industry’s transition to a clean and modern energy system by exploring four dimensions of utility transformation: Clean Energy Resources, Corporate Leadership, Modern Grid Enablement, and Aligned Actions and Engagement.
According to James Lavelle, Manager of Holyoke Gas & Electric, “I am grateful for this prestigious recognition from the Smart Electric Power Alliance and appreciate the hard work of HG&E employees. As a public power utility, HG&E is committed to providing innovative and sustainable energy solutions to the community we serve through investments in a diverse power supply portfolio, energy storage, efficiency and conservation programs, as well as development of emerging clean energy technologies. The State of Massachusetts has established a road map to net-zero by 2050 and HG&E is well positioned to meeting this target, as well as the incremental targets set for 2030 and 2040.”
HG&E earned a number of recognitions for its commitment to advancing clean and renewable energy, including its designation as a Smart Energy Provider by the American Public Power Association; the Energy Manager Today Project of the Year for Mount Tom Solar & Energy Storage System; and was ranked third nationally in energy storage per capita by the Smart Electric Power Alliance.
HG&E has a large and growing renewable with 94% of electricity coming from carbon-free resources in 2019.
SEPA President & CEO Julia Hamm said, "These leaders stand out due to their comprehensive efforts to transition to a carbon-free energy future, and most importantly, their results," "We applaud the leaders for their progress, and recognize that much work remains. The world does not have the luxury of time on carbon reduction."
SEPA’s 2021 Utility Transformation Leaderboard Utilities (in alphabetical order):
- Austin Energy
- Consolidated Edison of New York
- Green Mountain Power
- Holyoke Gas & Electric
- Los Angeles Department of Water and Power
- Pacific Gas & Electric
- Sacramento Municipal Utility District
- San Diego Gas & Electric
- Seattle City Light
- Southern California Edison
The 2021 Utility Transformation Profile report and Utility Transformation Leaderboard are available at https://sepapower.org/utility-transformation-challenge/.
About SEPA: The Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA) is dedicated to helping electric power stakeholders address the most pressing issues they encounter as they pursue the transition to a clean and modern electric future and a carbon-free energy system by 2050. We are a trusted partner providing education, research, standards, and collaboration to help utilities, electric customers, and other industry players across three pathways: Electrification, Grid Integration, Regulatory and Business Innovation. Through educational activities, working groups, peer-to-peer engagements and advisory services, SEPA convenes interested parties to facilitate information exchange and knowledge transfer to offer the highest value for our members and partner organizations. For more information, visit www.sepapower.org.