The Irving Institute is delighted to welcome Abigail Ross Hopper '93, a former Advisory Board member, as a Distinguished Industry Fellow. In this new role, Hopper will lead special projects focused on accelerating the pace and scale of transmission infrastructure upgrades needed to meet the nation's rapidly growing electricity demand.
Hopper will also continue to serve as a mentor to students in the Master of Energy Transition (MET) program, drawing on nearly three decades of experience spanning state regulatory commissions, federal energy agencies, and a national trade association.
"Abigail brings an unparalleled combination of legal expertise, policy fluency, and real-world industry leadership to this work," said Faculty Director Geoff Parker. "At a moment when our energy infrastructure must evolve faster than ever before, having someone with her track record leading this effort is exactly what we need."
A Career Built on the Energy Transition
A lawyer by training, Hopper's energy career began in state regulatory commissions before she was appointed to lead the Maryland Energy Administration, where she oversaw a diverse portfolio spanning nuclear, liquefied natural gas, coal, natural gas, energy efficiency, and renewables. She later led the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, overseeing oil and gas permitting alongside the growth of offshore wind development.
From 2017 to 2026, Hopper led the Solar Energy Industries Association as its President and CEO, a period during which U.S. solar capacity grew from 35 gigawatts to 255 gigawatts—a remarkable success story.
In her new role at the Irving Institute, Hopper is turning her attention to a challenge she sees as equally urgent: modernizing the nation's transmission infrastructure fast enough to keep pace with surging demand.
"We cannot meet the demand without solar and storage," Hopper said in a public conversation on campus last fall, reflecting on the strain that AI, data centers, and electrification are placing on the grid.
Grid-Enhancing Technologies as a Path Forward
Central to Hopper's new initiative is a focus on grid-enhancing technologies (GETs), which are tools that allow existing transmission infrastructure to carry more power more efficiently, often without the yearslong permitting timelines required for new transmission lines.
"We don't have the luxury of waiting a decade for new transmission lines to come online," Hopper said. "Grid-enhancing technologies let us do more with what we already have—faster, and at a fraction of the cost. If we're serious about meeting this moment, affordability and efficiency have to be part of every conversation about upgrading our energy infrastructure."
"It's very complex because transmission lines cross many jurisdictional boundaries, across federally overseen independent system operators, states, regional utilities," said Hopper. "The variegated nature of oversight makes seemingly simple solutions incredibly complex."
Looking Ahead
Hopper's optimism about the sector's future echoes remarks she made during last fall's campus conversation, when she encouraged students pursuing careers in energy to embrace uncertainty.
"Energy is the most exciting part of the economy," she said. "Our entire economy is built on it. If you've decided to go into energy as a career, you've made the right choice. We might not know exactly what all the policy parameters are today, and I can only promise you that they will change."
"At the end of the day, this work isn't just about electrons and infrastructure—it's about people and relationships," Hopper said. "Every transmission line, every policy negotiated, every technology deployment involves bringing people along, building trust, and finding common ground with communities, regulators, and each other."
As she steps into this new role, Hopper says she's channeling that same conviction into the work ahead. "We know what needs to happen. Now it's about doing it at the speed and scale this moment demands—and doing it in a way that brings people together."