EPIC Symposium

Learn how California is leading the decarbonized energy transformation.

The need for rapid, deeper decarbonization and enhanced reliability is clear—California is already experiencing the impacts of a changed climate. Extreme weather events and wildfires are more intense, and power shut offs affect more Californians. Innovation in key energy technologies, policies, and approaches is essential to a more resilient, equitable, and fully-decarbonized electrical system.

At the two day event, industry experts, researchers, and policymakers shared their insight and perspectives on emerging technologies and novel approaches. The symposium also offered opportunities to connect over anticipated projects and planted the seeds for future partnerships.

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Agenda

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9:00 AM
9:00 AM
- 9:10 AM

Day One | Welcome and Opening Remarks

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9:10 AM
9:10 AM
- 9:45 AM

Day One | Living Room Chat: Leading in Energy Innovation: California and Beyond

Transforming the clean energy sector requires state and federal collaborative action. In this living room chat, hear from state and federal leaders as they highlight how California and federal investment in clean energy technology is driving innovation and tangible change for communities and key opportunities for continued partnership and impact.

Watch Living Room Chat Recording

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9:50 AM
9:50 AM
- 10:50 AM

Day One | Plenary Session: Responding to the Reliability Imperative

To achieve California’s clean energy and climate goals, state leaders recognize that a portfolio of solutions will be needed. This mainstage session will highlight some of the technologies currently being deployed to accelerate grid decarbonization while enhancing reliability including demand response, vehicle-to-grid, and energy storage.

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10:50 AM
10:50 AM
- 11:50 AM

Day One | Breakout Session: Modernizing the Grid for a Distributed Energy Future

Californians have more opportunity than ever to manage their own energy consumption and costs through behind-the-meter resources, including solar, storage, and electric vehicle technologies. In this session, learn about cutting edge projects aimed at developing a grid capable of handling an increase in distributed energy resources. Join us as we explore the latest tech helping California usher in a more resilient era of customer choice.

Watch Modernizing the Grid Recording

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10:50 AM
10:50 AM
- 11:50 AM

Day One | Breakout Session: Homegrown & Homemade: How EPIC helps start-up companies manufacture in California

Moving a technology from start-up to scale means fresh design and overcoming new operational challenges. Through its Entrepreneurial Ecosystem, the CEC is helping start-ups to scale manufacturing in California and foster new ideas locally. Hear from EPIC recipients on how EPIC funding has helped to impact their operations and bring new energy solutions to the market. 

Watch Homegrown & Homemade Recording

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10:50 AM
10:50 AM
- 11:50 AM

Day One | Breakout Session: Supporting SB 100 Through Renewable Energy Technology Advancements

Achieving SB 100’s historic clean energy goals can be achieved faster and at lower cost with further advancements in renewable and zero-carbon technologies and strategies. Technology developers are rising to the occasion with innovations across key renewable energy technologies, such as solar PV, wind, and geothermal. Hear from experts as they illustrate the latest technology developments that can support SB 100 implementation.

Watch Supporting SB 100 Recording

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11:50 AM
11:50 AM
- 1:00 PM

LUNCH

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1:00 PM
1:00 PM
- 1:50 PM

Day One | Plenary Session: The Lithium Valley Vision

The Lithium Valley initiative envisions a statewide innovation ecosystem and circular economy in California for large format lithium batteries used in electric transportation and power sector applications. Under the Lithium Valley Vision, raw lithium materials would be recovered from geothermal brine in the Salton Sea, and eventually repurposed and recycled into new batteries, creating further opportunity for economic growth and reinforcing California’s leadership in clean energy technology. In this session, hear how achieving the Lithium Valley Vision would improve the environmental sustainability of lithium batteries, address supply chain challenges, enable a low-carbon economy, and be a job creator for California.

Watch Plenary Session Recording

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2:00 PM
2:00 PM
- 2:50 PM

Day One | Breakout Session: Innovative Load Flexibility Technologies and Strategies for Grid Support

As buildings and transportation continue to electrify, the need for load flexibility has never been greater. In this session, speakers will discuss advancements and achievements in load flexible technologies; cost effectiveness; and the outlook for providing reliable and sustainable load flexibility across the major energy-using sectors.

Watch Innovative Load Flexibility Recording

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2:00 PM
2:00 PM
- 2:50 PM

Day One | Breakout Session: Realizing the Lithium Valley Vision through Technology Innovation

Join us for a deeper dive into the technologies making this vision a reality. During this session, we will hear from experts as they highlight technologies aimed at improving the brine-to-lithium recovery process, advancing novel battery designs, and creating new end-of-life opportunities for batteries and battery materials.

Watch Lithium Valley Vision Recording

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2:00 PM
2:00 PM
- 2:50 PM

Day One | Breakout Session: Technology Advancement in Long-Duration Storage

Achieving the reality of a renewable, more flexible grid requires broader deployment of long-duration energy storage systems. Take a deep dive into the technology advancements enabling California’s fully renewable future. Speakers will highlight their technologies aimed at meeting duration and cost targets ushering in a reliable, modern, responsive, and flexible grid.

Watch Long-Duration Storage Recording

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9:00 AM
9:00 AM
- 9:05 AM

Day Two | Opening Remarks

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9:05 AM
9:05 AM
- 9:45 PM

Day Two | Living Room Chat: How California’s Policymakers are Ensuring an Equitable Transition

As adoption of emission-free technologies increases and decarbonization deepens, it is crucial that equity remain central to policy and clean energy solutions help counter the outsized emissions and energy cost burdens in under-resourced communities. In this living room chat, learn how California’s energy policy is prioritizing an equitable transition to clean energy—bringing the benefits of clean, affordable energy to all Californians—through innovation and entrepreneurship.

Watch Living Room Chat Recording

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9:50 AM
9:50 AM
- 10:50 AM

Day Two | Plenary Session: Creating a Healthy and Sustainable Future for Californians Through Transformation of the Built Environment

Expanding access to clean energy building technologies is fundamental to healthful homes and workplaces and to California’s sustainable future. As the challenges of climate change and the affordable housing crisis have highlighted, the status quo approach to development and building improvements is insufficient. In this session, community leaders highlight how access to clean energy building technologies can benefit California’s under-resourced communities and how initiatives like the Next EPIC Challenge are accelerating the transformation to a clean built environment.

Watch Plenary Session Recording

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10:50 AM
10:50 AM
- 11:50 AM

Day Two | Breakout Session: Advancing Decarbonization of Existing Buildings While Ensuring Equity and Affordability

When implementing clean energy technologies aimed towards building decarbonization equity and affordability must be cornerstone. Join us as we discuss the latest technologies and approaches for decarbonizing existing buildings and solutions for overcoming technical, economic, and institutional barriers for building owners and occupants.

Watch Advancing Decarbonization Recording

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10:50 AM
10:50 AM
- 11:50 AM

Day Two | Breakout Session: Innovative Technologies for Wildfire Risk Reduction

In 2020 and 2021, California experienced two of its most devastating years of wildfire. With the help of EPIC funds, the state’s largest investor-owned utilities are implementing new clean energy technologies focused on wildfire risk reduction and mitigation. In this session, hear how these technologies are supporting California’s action on electricity system resiliency and climate adaptation.

Watch Wildfire Risk Recording

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10:50 AM
10:50 AM
- 11:50 AM

Day Two | Breakout Session: Fulfilling the Need for Short-Duration Storage

California’s rapidly evolving energy landscape and aggressive carbon reduction goals are increasing the need for short-duration energy storage technologies. What emerging technologies can help scale energy storage to the levels needed for the SB 100 buildout? This session will focus on the successes of different technologies such as lithium-sulfur and zinc in short-duration energy storage.

Watch Short-Duration Storage Recording

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11:50 AM
11:50 AM
- 1:00 PM

LUNCH

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1:00 PM
1:00 PM
- 1:50 PM

Day Two | Plenary Session: Diversity in Clean Energy Entrepreneurship – Perspectives from Women Leaders

Furthering gender diversity in the clean energy sector advances equity and taps into more inventive, entrepreneurial potential for accelerating decarbonization. The CEC invests more than $150 million annually in scientific and technological research for energy innovation and seeks broad participation, including women-owned businesses. In this plenary, hear from women entrepreneurs as they discuss their groundbreaking technologies and how addressing funding gaps and access to resources speeds the pace of transitioning to clean energy.

Watch Plenary Session Recording

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2:00 PM
2:00 PM
- 2:50 PM

Day Two | Breakout Session: Data Applications to Support a Climate Resilient Electricity Sector

To better plan for energy needs in the face of a changing climate, high-quality weather and climate data is critical. EPIC-funded grants are working to ramp up climate resilience and safety through the development of improved climate projections, near-term forecasting, and an enhanced data platform. This session will explore these developments and implications for electricity sector decision-making and investment.

Watch Data Applications Recording

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2:00 PM
2:00 PM
- 2:50 PM

Day Two | Breakout Session: Realizing the Value Proposition for Industrial Decarbonization

The industrial sector accounts for a large share of California’s CO₂ emissions. The CEC invests in technologies and approaches that can help opportunities for emissions reductions across a range of industrial processes. This session will explore some of the advancements that industry leaders are pursuing to decarbonize, such as use of integrated energy management controls, new membranes, hydraulic motors, and low-carbon refrigeration.

Watch Value Proposition Recording

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2:00 PM
2:00 PM
- 2:50 PM

Day Two | Breakout Session: Grid-supportive and Cost-effective Solar and Storage

Coupling storage with solar has the potential to maximize the benefits of our renewable resources for customers and the grid. However, economic and technology challenges remain for wide-scale deployment, particularly in disadvantaged, tribal, and other under-resourced communities. This panel will feature projects advancing the integration of high-efficiency solar with storage and other distributed energy resources.

Watch Grid-supportive Recording

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Featured Speakers

Speakers