Quarterly Industry Update - Emerging Developments for 2026 and Beyond

Today’s cooperative leaders need real-time insights and analysis to interpret the potential impact of industry trends and market activity on their service territories. CFC’s quarterly industry update for cooperative executives and directors, in association with the National Society of Accountants for Cooperatives, highlights important research and sector trends compiled by CFC’s industry experts. Join CFC’s Jan Ahlen for the third industry update of the year, where he will examine emerging developments that may affect cooperatives in 2026 and beyond.

Note: CPE certificates will be issued by CFC.  

Presenter: Jan Ahlen, Vice President, Utility Research & Policy, CFC

Jan Ahlen leads CFC’s Federal Relations and Industry Research & Analysis teams. Prior to joining CFC, Ahlen held senior positions at NRECA. As director of Energy Solutions, he led NRECA initiatives on distributed energy resources (DER). He also managed a portfolio of research projects, delivered strategic advice to cooperatives and served as liaison to outside stakeholder groups. A frequent speaker at utility industry events, Ahlen promoted future utility business models and successful DER deployments. Ahlen also served as senior regulatory affairs manager for NRECA and was responsible for representing rural electric cooperatives before various federal agencies. In this role, Ahlen was NRECA’s subject matter expert in retail rate design, emerging utility business models, grid modernization and retail market design. Prior to joining NRECA, Ahlen served as the energy lobbyist for the National Farmers Union.  

Ahlen holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an MBA from Johns Hopkins University.