  We propose to use the gradient flow for the renormalization of Polyakov loops
in various representations. We study Polyakov loops in 2+1 flavor QCD using the
HISQ action and lattices with temporal extents $N_\tau$=6, 8, 10 and 12 in
various representations, including fundamental, sextet, adjoint, decuplet,
15-plet and 27-plet. This alternative renormalization procedure allows for the
renormalization over a large temperature range from $T$=100 MeV - 800 MeV, with
small errors not only for the fundamental, but also for the higher
representations of the Polyakov loop. We discuss the results of this procedure
and Casimir scaling of the Polyakov loop.
