Energy Systems Integration Group (ESIG) Announces 2026 Excellence Award Winners

Last week, the Energy Systems Integration Group (ESIG), the leading source of global expertise for energy systems integration and operations, announced the recipients of its 2026 Excellence Awards.

These awards recognize energy professionals from around the world for their contributions and accomplishments toward the planning and operation of energy systems across multiple pathways and geographical scales in ways that are reliable, economic and sustainable.

More than 30 individuals and teams received Excellence Awards, including two Charlie Smith Lifetime Excellence Award winners, for their sustained contributions and dedication to the energy industry.

“ESIG’s annual awards program recognizes the energy industry’s achievements, and we’re seeing significant momentum on transformative projects in 2026,” said Mark Ahlstrom, ESIG Board of Directors President. “The 2026 recipients demonstrate the innovation occurring among energy systems integration and operations leaders, and we are proud to celebrate them all.”

The Charlie Smith Lifetime Excellence Awards are presented to:

Sue Tierney, Analysis Group, for leadership in economics, regulation, policy, and the gas/electric interface

Steve Beuning for spearheading the development of markets in the West and a lifetime of innovating operational practices

**L-R:** Debbie Lew, Steve Beuning, 2026 Charlie Smith Lifetime Excellence Award recipient, Mark Ahlstrom

2026 Excellence Award recipients include:

For developing a novel integrated planning approach that aligns transmission and interconnection to meet evolving grid needs

Southwest Power Pool’s Consolidated Planning Process Task Force
SPP Engineering Team
SPP Regulatory Team
SPP Legal Team

**L-R:** Debbie Lew, SPP representative Sunny Raheem, Mark Ahlstrom

For advancing reliable large load integration across ESIG, IEEE, CIGRE, and other international forums through open knowledge sharing and technical excellence

Eric Meier, Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT)
Taulant Kerci, EirGrid
Mohamed Shamseldein, IESO
David Larson, Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)
Tayeb Meridji, Ørsted

**L-R:** Debbie Lew, team representative David Larson, Mark Ahlstrom

For impactful analyses and effective communications on electricity retail prices, interconnection queues, transmission value, and energy policy assessments

Ryan Wiser, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

For technical contributions in transmission value assessments and leadership on seminal national transmission studies

Adria Brooks, Grid Strategies

**L-R:** Debbie Lew, Adria Brooks, Mark Ahlstrom

For the successful launch of the Ontario renewed market in 2025, a decade-long effort that focused on stakeholder input, operational readiness, and international collaboration by ensuring state-of-the-art design features were integrated into the new market

Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO)
Darren Matsugu, Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO)
Stephen Nusbaum, Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO)
Candice Trickey, Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO)

**L-R:** Debbie Lew, IESO representative Darren Matsugu, Mark Ahlstrom

For their leadership and playing a pivotal role in advancing industry’s understanding of modern interconnection standards for inverter-based resources

i2X Leadership Team, including:

Julia Matevosyan, Energy Systems Integration Group (ESIG)
Ryan Quint, Elevate Energy Consulting
Jens C. Boemer, Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)
Cynthia Bothwell, Boston Government Services, Contractor to US Department of Energy
Robert Reedy, Lindahl Reed, Contractor to US Department of Energy
Will Gorman, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

**L-R:** Cynthia Bothwell, Debbie Lew, Dev Millstein (on behalf of Will Gorman), Julia Matevosyan, Mark Ahlstrom

For her vision in creating a multi-stakeholder process to identify tools and methods for utilities to employ to enable rapid electrification with a focus on minimizing infrastructure cost and maintaining reliability

Priya Sreedharan, GridLab

**L-R:** Debbie Lew, Priya Sreedharan, Mark Ahlstrom

For significant contributions and knowledge sharing in grid-forming inverter-based resources and large-load integration for candid contributions on developer challenges in inverter-based resource integration, increasing stakeholder awareness and strengthening grid reliability

Mohammed Nassar, Tesla
Sarah Walinga, Tesla
Sean Jones, Tesla
Sai Gopal Vennelaganti, Tesla
Annie Cwikilinski, formerly Tesla

**L-R:** Debbie Lew, Mohammed Nassar, Sai Gopal Vennelaganti, Sarah Walinga, Mark Ahlstrom

For candid contributions on developer challenges in inverter-based resource integration, increasing stakeholder awareness and strengthening grid reliability

Katie Iversen, AES
Rishi Maharaj, ENGIE

**L-R:** Debbie Lew, Katie Iversen, Mark Ahlstrom

For active technical contributions on advanced inverter-based resource modeling, controls, and protection enhancing stakeholder understanding and grid reliability

Jing Wang, National Laboratory of the Rockies

**L-R:** Debbie Lew, Jing Wang, Mark Ahlstrom

For advancing the state of integrated planning and distribution system operations

Julieta Giraldez, Electric Power Engineers (EPE)

For developing the Regional Energy Shortfall Threshold (REST) and the associated probabilistic assessment tool, establishing acceptable system exposure to extreme energy shortfall events, especially those that occur roughly once in 90 years in the New England region