News Releases

(LOUISVILLE, Ky.) – Louisville Gas and Electric Company and Kentucky Utilities Company was recently honored with two Technology Transfer Awards from the Electric Power Research Institute for its achievements in research and development.

Presented annually, EPRI’s Technology Transfer Awards recognize power system leaders and innovators who have helped their companies deliver safe, affordable, reliable, and environmentally responsible electricity via the application of R&D in the utility industry.

“It’s an honor to be recognized for our efforts in technology innovation,” said Dr. David Link, LG&E and KU manager of Research and Development. “Through our partnership with EPRI, we can better focus on emerging technologies that are vital to LG&E and KU’s future. The energy industry evolves at a rapid pace, so it’s important to be on the forefront of change in order to continue to deliver safe, reliable and environmentally-responsible electricity. Our collaboration with EPRI helps makes this possible.”

“The 2016 Technology Transfer Award winners have taken EPRI R&D to new levels in order to shape a sustainable energy system,” said Arshad Mansoor, EPRI senior vice president of R&D. “Working in a collaborative environment, their advancements benefit their utility and the entire industry because we all have a stake in power system transformation.”

EV Charging Stations

LG&E and KU’s Electric Vehicle Charging Station program was recognized for applying EPRI methodologies, standards and staff expertise as the utilities gained their regulator’s approval of the program and designed and deployed electric vehicle charging infrastructures.

Launched in 2016, the program committed to installing new EV charging infrastructure both in public access areas and for business customers interested in hosting charging stations. This was done to further improve accessibility to regional charging stations and support electric vehicle drivers who are concerned about their transportation environmental footprint.

LG&E and KU committed to installing 20 public EV charging stations across the state, 10 in LG&E’s service territory and 10 in KU’s service territory. To date, five stations have been installed and other locations are being determined to best serve electric vehicle drivers in the region. 

E.W. Brown Solar

A second, separate Technology Transfer Award honored LG&E and KU’s use of EPRI resources and staff expertise in developing the specifications and gaining its regulator’s approval of the company’s 10-megawatt universal solar facility at its E.W. Brown Generating Station.

The facility, which is Kentucky’s largest solar photovoltaic project, stretches across 50 acres of property and consists of more than 44,000 solar panels on fixed-tilt rack systems, positioned to optimize the available sunlight for producing energy. Commercial operation began in spring 2016. The facility is projected to produce 19,000 megawatt-hours of energy annually, enough to provide energy for 1,500 homes based on a usage of 1,000 kilowatt hours per month.

The universal solar facility is part of LG&E and KU’s continuous efforts to meet customers’ energy needs while evaluating new potential energy options and gives the utilities an opportunity to learn more about this technology, including how commercial-scale solar energy is impacted by factors such as cloud cover and how it integrates with the existing generating units.

Visit the EPRI website for more information on the company’s Technology Transfer Awards.

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Louisville Gas and Electric Company and Kentucky Utilities Company, part of the PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL) family of companies, are regulated utilities that serve nearly 1.3 million customers and have consistently ranked among the best companies for customer service in the United States. LG&E serves 322,000 natural gas and 403,000 electric customers in Louisville and 16 surrounding counties. KU serves 546,000 customers in 77 Kentucky counties and five counties in Virginia. More information is available at www.lge-ku.com and www.pplweb.com.