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Alltricity Network Report
From The Desk of Ken Wilmot (Alltricity Network Executive Director) This year, our events are arriving earlier than ever! Between late February and early April, we’ll host five events spanning Distribution, Safety, Transmission, Generation, and electric utility basics—all building toward the 2026 Alltricity Network Spring Conference. It’s shaping up to be a dynamic season of learning, networking, and professional development. Participating in these events—whether in person or virtually—is a valuable way to connect with peers and gain practical insights that keep you informed about the latest trends, technologies, and key issues shaping the electric utility industry. Join us and keep the momentum going strong in 2026! 🔍 Checkout 2026 Alltricity Network Spring Conference Higlights 📅 April 27-29, 2026 Join industry peers at the Alltricity Network Spring Management, Engineering, and Operations Conference, featuring 20+ expert-led sessions across key utility disciplines, customizable breakout tracks, and high-impact networking with professionals and exhibitors from across the industry. Visit the 2026 Spring Conference event page for the latest details including: ⛳ Kick Off Your 2026 Spring Conference at the Golf Outing Kick off the 2026 Spring Conference by reconnecting with industry colleagues and friends over a round of golf at the Player’s Club—Omaha's only 27-hole private club, designed by Arnold Palmer. Golf registration is $175, and you must be registered for Monday Only or the Full Conference to register for the Golf Outing. The registration fee includes green fees, a cart, a box breakfast, range balls, and winner prizes. The outing will be a four-person scramble format. We look forward to hitting the links with you soon! 🌱 Explore How to Motivate, Mentor & Recruit Early Career Talent at the NextGen Pre-Conference Workshop Hosted by the Alltricity Network NextGen Committee on Monday, April 27, from 2:30-5:30 p.m., this interactive workshop is designed to enhance your 2026 Spring Conference experience and foster stronger cross-generational collaboration in the electric utility industry. Managers and leaders can expect practical strategies to more effectively motivate, mentor, recruit, and retain emerging talent, strengthening engagement for long-term team success. For professionals who are earlier in their careers, this is an opportunity to better understand how leaders are thinking about today’s workforce challenges and how to position yourself for growth as the industry continues to rapidly evolve. Member price: Only $100 when bundling with a full 2026 Spring Conference registration. Learn more & register now! 🤝 Spring Conference Sponsorship Opportunities Available Reach a diverse electric utility audience and enhance your organization's visibility at the 2026 Spring Conference through Tabletop Sponsorships. View sponsorship opportunities and reserve your spot today. If you have questions or would like to discuss a customized opportunity, please contact us at info@alltricitynetwork.org. ⛳ Sponsor registration is now open for the 2026 Alltricity Scholarship Foundation Golf Tournament June 23, 2026 | Arrowhead Golf Club | Littleton, CO Grab your clubs and join us for a day on the course that delivers more than just a great round of golf. The 2026 Golf Tournament, hosted by the Alltricity Scholarship Foundation, blends friendly competition, industry connection, and real impact—all in support of scholarships for the next generation of electric utility professionals. Learn more about the 2026 Golf Tournament and view the event brochure. Tournament proceeds go directly toward scholarships that open doors for ambitious students, strengthen our workforce pipeline, and support the future of the electric utility industry and the communities it serves. Thanks to dedicated supporters, the Foundation has awarded over 700 scholarships and contributed over $1.6 million to students since 2000. Registration Schedule *Register early—space fills up quickly!*
View full Golf Tournament Registration Schedule details and sponsorship opportunities, and we look forward to teeing off with you for a GREAT cause soon! 🧰 Alltricity Network: A resource for you We’re here to support you and your organization with timely, relevant educational and networking opportunities. We encourage you to share our development opportunities with your peers, workgroups, and professional network! Our Education Committees—comprised of dedicated members—work hard to provide timely, relevant, and thoughtfully curated educational and networking opportunities. Have a topic or presentation idea for a conference or workshop?—Feel free to contact us anytime!
Education and Upcoming Events
Transmission Planning, Operations & Maintenance Conference—March 24-25, 2026 (Westminster, CO) Virtual Summit: Roadmap to Building New Gas Generation—March 31-April 2, 2026 | 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. MDT each day (Virtual via Microsoft Teams) 2026 NextGen Pre-Conference Workshop: How to Motivate, Mentor & Recruit Early Career Talent—April 27, 2026 | 2:30-4:30 p.m. CDT | Hosted prior to the start of the 2026 Spring Conference (Omaha, NE) 2026 Alltricity Network Spring Conference—April 27-29, 2026 (Omaha, NE) Summer 2026 Alltricity Scholarship Foundation Golf Tournament—June 23, 2026 (Littleton, CO) 2026 Alltricity Network Fall Convention—October 5-7, 2026 (San Antonio, TX) 
Alltricity Network Member Information
The association's trusted network is accessible on LinkedIn. Working side-by-side in a cooperative manner, Alltricity Network members band together for the common goal of bettering the industry and improving service for utility customers. For more than 120 years, these key principles have proven successful and, more importantly, are tried-and-true methods for building strong business relationships.
Alltricity Network Champions is a prestigious group of Alltricity Network supporters with access to useful and beneficial promotional opportunities. Thank you, 2025 Alltricity Network Champions!
Industry Information
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced a funding opportunity of $171.5 million to support next-generation geothermal field-scale tests for both electricity generation and exploration drilling to support characterization and potential confirmation of promising geothermal prospects.
Artificial intelligence is forcing utility operators and policymakers alike to collaborate to address a potential energy dilemma—how to handle the expected growth in electricity demand from data centers.
But there is a fundamental contradiction between what the White House wants and market demand: The Trump Administration would like traditional baseload fuels like coal, natural gas, and nuclear to take the lead. But the grid screams for speed. It’s about keeping prices down, which means we need to bring on solar and wind energy—the resources that make up most of the electrons now in the interconnection queue.
U.S. electricity net generation reached a record in 2025 based on data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration Electricity Data Browser. In 2025, the United States generated 4.43 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity, up 2.8% from 2024 generation, which previously had been the highest annual total in its Monthly Energy Review Data Browser dataset dating back to 1949.
The “ratepayer protection” pledge touted by the president comes as affordability has become a top concern for an American public wary of the possibility that the AI buildout could lead to higher utility bills. Trump first announced the pledge during his State of the Union address last month but provided few details.
Member Announcements
PacifiCorp announced it has entered into an agreement with Portland General Electric Company (NYSE: POR) to sell its wind, natural gas generation, and distribution assets and infrastructure in the state of Washington for $1.9 billion, subject to customary purchase price adjustments. The agreement outlines the sale of PacifiCorp’s assets, including the Chehalis thermal plant, Marengo wind facility, Goodnoe Hills wind facility, and the distribution infrastructure required to serve customers in the current Pacific Power service area in Yakima, Walla Walla, and surrounding communities.
Austin Energy marked a record year in its 2025 Demand Response program, reinforcing the utility’s commitment to grid reliability and sustainability. The program’s success was driven by a targeted rollout plan last summer, ensuring reliable service during peak demand. A demand response program manages electricity consumption during peak demand times to reduce strain on the power grid and avoid outages and high costs.
The Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2), a $55 million energy technology program funded by Wells Fargo & Company and coadministered by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR), formerly known as NREL, has selected Tucson Electric Power (TEP) as one of eight organizations to participate in the second Scalable Tech track cohort.
White Paper
Ocean waves are a vast and steady source of renewable energy, but capturing their power efficiently has long frustrated engineers. A researcher at the University of Osaka has now explored a bold new approach: a gyroscopic wave energy converter that uses a spinning flywheel inside a floating structure to turn wave motion into electricity. By harnessing gyroscopic precession—the subtle wobble of a spinning object under force—the system can be tuned to absorb energy across a wide range of wave conditions.
Green hydrogen could be a game-changer for the clean energy transition—but right now, it’s too expensive and still relies on harmful “forever chemicals.” A new EU-backed project called SUPREME aims to fix that by reinventing how hydrogen is made. Led by the University of Southern Denmark with partners across Europe, researchers are developing a PFAS-free electrolysis system that slashes the use of rare metals like iridium and dramatically cuts costs.
Fusion energy may be one of the most promising clean power sources of the future—but only if scientists can precisely measure the extreme, fast-moving plasmas that make it possible. A new U.S. Department of Energy–sponsored report urges major investment in advanced diagnostic tools—the high-tech “sensors” that track plasma temperature, density, and behavior inside fusion systems. Bringing together 70 experts from universities, national labs, and private industry, the workshop identified seven priority areas ranging from burning plasma to full-scale pilot plants.
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