January 23
PLMA Welcomes New Executive Director Cynthia Hunt Jaehne
This week's top smart energy news, curated by the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative (SECC).
Member News
PLMA, A Flexible Load Management Community, announced the appointment of Cynthia Hunt Jaehne as its next Executive Director, effective February 9. “Cynthia’s deep expertise in the energy industry, coupled with her people-first leadership style, make her the perfect fit for PLMA’s important next chapter,” stated Robin Maslowski, Chair of the PLMA Board and Founder of Trillium Energy Consulting.
ComEd filed its second multi-year grid plan (MYGP) with the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) on January 16, 2026. The plan outlines the company’s proposed investments in the electric grid for 2028 through 2031 and is intended to support reliability, affordability and adaptation to increasing energy demand. The MYGP builds on the company’s previous grid plan and includes investments aimed at strengthening the grid to maintain safe and affordable electric service.
Residential batteries are quickly becoming one of the most versatile tools in a utility’s toolkit. They can shift load, manage peaks, support solar integration, and improve resilience. However, moving from pilot programs to large-scale deployment has been complicated. To explore these challenges, Uplight recently hosted a working group with nearly 40 utility DER leaders to share experiences and lessons learned from early battery programs.
Branndon Kelley, Senior Vice President of Strategy and Innovation & Chief Strategy Officer of American Municipal Power, has been elected Chair of the Hometown Connections Inc. Board of Directors. HCI is a national, nonprofit utility services organization with a mission to provide innovative, industry-leading solutions in a cost-effective manner to meet the unique needs of community-owned utilities.
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Industry News
The Double Island Volunteer Fire Department in Yancey County, North Carolina is the beating heart of this remote community in the shadow of Mount Mitchell, about 50 miles northeast of Asheville. Once home to a schoolhouse that doubled as a church, the red-roofed building still hosts weddings, parties and other events. Sixteen months ago, when Hurricane Helene hit this rugged corner of countryside with catastrophic floods, Double Island’s fire department was where locals turned for help.
Exelon, which serves more than 10.7 million customers through six fully regulated transmission and distribution utilities, last week contributed an additional $10 million to its Customer Relief Fund, a program launched last summer to help low- and middle-income customers afford and manage energy costs. Each of Exelon’s operating companies, including BGE, ComEd, Pepco and others, receive a portion of the contribution, which will be administered by trusted local nonprofits.
2026 will be a year of reckoning for the electric power industry. Major policy changes in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which axed most subsidies for clean energy and electric vehicles, are forcing utilities, manufacturers, developers and others to pivot fast. The impacts of those changes will become more pronounced over the coming months. Market forces will also have their say. Demand for power has never been greater.
In the back of Black Seed Bagels in northern Brooklyn is a giant catering kitchen filled with industrial-size condiments and freezers full of dough. A tall, silver electric oven, named the Baconator, stands in a far corner, cooking thousands of pounds of meat every week to accompany Black Seed’s hand-rolled, wood-fired bagels. The Baconator is connected to a battery the size of a carry-on suitcase, which is plugged into the wall.
