CPUC Announces Public Forum To Accelerate and Coordinate Electric Power RD&D Outcomes
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) will hold its first Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC) Policy + Innovation Forum on February 18, 2021, to better connect energy research, development, and deployment (RD&D) projects with current and emerging policy issues. The Forum will highlight the results of the EPIC Policy + Innovation Coordination Group’s collaboration on equity, wildfire mitigation, transportation electrification, and utility Public Safety Power Shutoff RD&D projects.
EPIC is the largest state-level public interest electricity RD&D program in the nation, driving investments in emerging technologies to ensure the state’s energy policy goals are achieved. The CPUC created the Policy + Innovation Coordination Group to support targeted feedback among policymakers and EPIC innovators.
Panelists and participants will share direct experiences from RD&D projects on the policy obstacles to new and emerging technology adoption, discuss ways to use these lessons to inform ongoing and upcoming CPUC proceedings, and identify new opportunities for coordination and collaboration to accelerate energy innovation. Stakeholders interested in joining the virtual forum can register online at EPICPartnership.org.
Key Speakers
- CPUC President Marybel Batjer
- CPUC Commissioner Martha Guzman Aceves
- CPUC Commissioner Clifford Rechtschaffen
|
Date |
Time |
Access Information |
|
Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021 |
10 a.m. – 2:40 p.m. |
Stakeholders who are interested in joining the virtual forum can register online at EPICPartnership.org. |
The CPUC’s Policy + Innovation Coordination Group
The Forum is being hosted by the EPIC Policy + Innovation Coordination Group, established in CPUC Decisions D.18-01-008 and D.18-10-052, and comprised of EPIC program administrators, CPUC Commissioners, CPUC Energy Division staff, and the EPIC Policy+Innovation Coordination Group Project Coordinator.
From September through December 2020, the group facilitated 11 public meetings around the workstream topics of equity, wildfire mitigation, transportation electrification, and utility Public Safety Power Shutoffs, engaging more than 500 stakeholders. The purpose of the group is to better leverage lessons learned from RD&D projects and the CPUC’s policymaking proceedings through increased collaboration among EPIC program administrators, the CPUC, and stakeholders.
The CPUC’s Electric Power RD&D Investments
EPIC supports the development of new, emerging, and non-commercialized clean energy technologies in California. These projects benefit electric utility customers with increased reliability, improved safety, and/or reduced electricity costs.
The CPUC oversees EPIC, which is funded by investor-owned electricity utility customers. Four administrators currently administer EPIC: the California Energy Commission (CEC), which administers 80 percent of EPIC funds; and Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Southern California Edison, and San Diego Gas & Electric, which together administer the remaining 20 percent of EPIC funds. D.20-08-042 reauthorized EPIC for 2021-2030 at $148 million per year, to be administered by the CEC.
To find out more about the Policy + Innovation Coordination Group, visit EPICPartnership.org.
The CPUC regulates services and utilities, protects consumers, safeguards the environment, and assures Californians’ access to safe and reliable utility infrastructure and services. For more information on the CPUC, please visit www.cpuc.ca.gov.
###