Exelon Driving Innovation and the Grid of the Future

Abstract

The US electricity grid has withstood the test of time, perhaps more than any other utility infrastructure. It is essentially the same system that we have relied upon for more than 100 years: large central generating stations, transmitting energy over wires to the poles on the streets that ultimately deliver electricity to our homes and businesses. In the future, however, we will experience a very different system for producing and delivering energy. Imagine charging your electric vehicle with energy produced by solar photovoltaic panels on your home, storing excess energy for when you need it, and selling some of it back into the energy system. Through the integration of distributed electricity generation, internet connectivity, and emerging technologies, this future may be just around the corner, provided the regulatory framework that has supported our electricity grid keeps pace with changing customer expectations and emerging technology.

As a Fortune 100 energy company with the largest number of utility customers and among the largest power generation fleets in the nation, Exelon’s breadth and scale gives us unique insight into the challenges facing the industry as it adapts to changing technology and evolving customer demands. This is especially relevant as the pace of technology innovation and digitization of our national energy system continues to accelerate.