The American grid is under pressure like never before. Surging demand from data centers, accelerating electrification, and extreme weather are forcing utilities to rethink how power is planned, built, and delivered—and the Midwest is at the center of it all.
In this keynote conversation from Intersolar & Energy Storage North America Midwest 2026, executives from ComEd, Xcel Energy, and Ameren Illinois share how they are navigating this inflection point, integrating unprecedented levels of solar, storage, and distributed energy resources while keeping costs in check and reliability intact.
The discussion covers how to redesign a system built for one-way power delivery into one that accommodates dynamic two-way power flows, how Illinois’ hosting capacity opportunity can accelerate distributed energy resource deployment, and what efficient interconnection at scale looks like across the Midcontinent Independent System Operator territory.
Featuring:
Bria Shea, President MN, ND, SD — Xcel Energy
Brice Sheriff, Senior Director of Regulatory Affairs & Energy Supply — Ameren Illinois
Andy Plenge, Vice President of Strategy & Energy Policy — ComEd
Moderated by Nico Johnson, CEO — SunCast Media
Viewers will leave with an inside look at how the region’s largest utilities are planning for the next decade of clean energy deployment — and what that means for developers, installers, and anyone working to accelerate the energy transition.
