CPS Energy was named the Public Power Utility of the Year award by the Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA) for the utility's forward thinking in new generation sources and using technology on the grid to facilitate access to distributed energy resources.

CPS Energy is an industry leader for its diversification of its energy portfolio while embracing renewable energy and new technologies to meet its energy demands. The utility is installing battery storage and distributed generation such as solar panels to both improve reliability and reduce the demand for electricity.

"This is about us putting into practice our thought leadership around meeting customer expectations. Many of our customers want reliable, clean electricity - preferably with little or no emissions," said President & CEO Paula Gold-Williams. "Where some other utilities talk about how it could be done, we ask ourselves how it can be done today."

Gold-Williams said the utility already has 76 megawatts of installed rooftop solar in addition to nearly 450 megawatts of solar farm generation and is looking for ways to install even more in the future. Leveraging technologies such as the smart meters the utility has installed on its system, Gold-Williams said the utility has already achieved state leadership in this area. Beyond our state borders, the SEPA award recognizes that leadership.

"It's always great to be recognized for your efforts, but it's truly motivating to be recognized as a national leader like we are with the SEPA award," Gold-Williams said.

CPS Energy | www.cpsenergy.com