POWERGRAMS

42 INNOVATION STATION Spark, Alabama Power's idea-generation program and competition, relaunched in August 2018 and is helping transform the business through innovation and collaboration. Employees have been asked to submit ideas that help the company improve in areas including safety, revenue growth, cost reductions and operational efficiency. "New ideas are critical to Alabama Power's continued success, and the best ones always come from our employees," said CEO Mark Crosswhite. "As our business continues to evolve, we need employees to continue harnessing the spirit of innovation that has made Alabama Power great for more than a century." Alabama Power employees again responded to the call for business-transforming ideas with 126 submissions through Spark. Once received, Marketing & Business Development completes an initial evaluation to gauge each idea's strategic fit, net income potential and feasibility. Approved ideas move forward to preliminary business case development and management review. Participants receive monetary awards throughout the competition as their ideas advance through the evaluation process. "Spark gives employees the opportunity to use their extensive knowledge of our business and innovative ideas to improve the company," said Greg Barker, executive vice president of Customer Services. "I challenge all employees to consider how their ideas can have an impact – because as we've seen, the impact can be significant." Seven ideas from 2018 passed the initial screening and are being developed into business cases. Several employees have found inspiration for Spark ideas through their everyday job duties. Local Operations Lineman Todd Warr submitted "Repair or Replace Customer Meter Sockets" – potentially an incremental revenue stream for the company involving repairing or replacing sockets identified by local operations linemen after a temperature alarm has occurred. "Giving customers the option to have Alabama Power coordinate an electrician to handle the repairs would simplify the process for customers, increase customer satisfaction and generate revenue," said Warr.  Engagement Manager Jamie Sandford submitted the idea "Visually Marking Limited-Access Wire Spans," which proposes a solution for storm evaluators to more safely identify downed wires. He came up with the idea while working storm duty as an evaluator, identifying the need firsthand after having to walk through overgrown rights-of-way or trying to identify downed spans using binoculars. "In storm restoration, you're trying to evaluate as quickly and safely as possible and report back what you find. There's always the threat that one of these spans of wire are ripped down and potentially still live. If evaluators go traipsing through the woods to more closely inspect, they run the risk of stepping on something dangerous or encountering wildlife. By using colored line markers, we can quickly see a downed span and take extra precaution before entering the area," said Sandford. Information Technology Specialist Charles Ivey's idea "360° Bird's Eye View Camera System for Generation Overhead Crane and Heavy Equipment," provides overhead crane operators an enhanced view of the surrounding and travel paths in real-time. "Generation overhead crane operators are highly skilled and work with a lift spotter for critical lifts. This would provide the operator visual confirmation of the lift in real-time providing a safer lift," Ivey said. Spark began in 2016 as a 10-week competition where employees from across the company submitted 143 ideas. Eighteen employees, whose teams' submissions were recognized as the Top 10 ideas, received monetary awards for their submissions. As these ideas were reviewed, some, such as the air filter subscription service on the company's e-commerce platform SmartNeighbor.com, were developed and piloted. In addition to the ongoing Spark competition, the company plans to hold annual innovation awards, with winners receiving monetary prizes and recognition. Employees will regularly be given opportunities to participate in i-Challenges – short idea- generation efforts on various topics, for another chance for awards. For more information about Alabama Power's innovation initiatives, contact APCInnovation@southernco.com. Innovate. Create. Grow. by Whitney Massey

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