Project
California Energy Commission: EPIC
Raising Visibility and Driving Market Education for California’s Clean Energy Innovation Program
Sector: Clean Energy Innovation | Government R&D
Location: California (Statewide)
Partners: California Energy Commission, Frontier Energy, Sensis Agency, Larta Institute, Casamar Group
Duration: 2020 – 2023
Opportunity
California is on the frontline of climate change, grappling with intensifying wildfires and prolonged droughts that underscore the urgent need for deeper decarbonization. To address these challenges, the California Energy Commission (CEC) dedicates over $150 million annually to research and development of innovative technologies through its Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC) program—supporting the transition to a sustainable, low-carbon energy economy.
TRC led a coalition of expert organizations—including Frontier Energy, Sensis Agency, Larta Institute, and Casamar Group—to enhance the visibility and impact of the EPIC program. The initiative required a coordinated approach to event production, digital education, and stakeholder engagement to connect clean energy innovators, researchers, policymakers, and communities with emerging solutions funded by the CEC.
Approach
Produced Large-Scale Educational Events to Connect Innovators and Policymakers
TRC supported CEC in planning and producing a series of EPIC forums, symposiums, and innovation tours—bringing together thousands of clean tech innovators, researchers, and policymakers to learn about emerging technologies, share best practices, and connect on future projects. Our role spanned logistics, vendor contracts, registration, staffing, attendee outreach, media relations, session design, technology transfer programming, pitch competitions, and exhibitor coordination. Events featured prominent speakers including U.S. DOE Secretary Jennifer Granholm and California Governor Gavin Newsom.
Developed a Content-Rich Website to Showcase CEC-Funded Innovation
TRC developed and managed the Energize Innovation website (energizeinnovation.fund)—the central hub for CEC-funded research and technology activities. The site enabled clean energy stakeholders to learn about and connect with organizations driving innovation in California’s energy sector. Features included educational resources on key energy innovation investments, a searchable database of hundreds of CEC-funded projects and innovation partner profiles, and comprehensive event details including speakers and presentations.
Led Multichannel Outreach to Build Awareness Across Clean Energy Stakeholders
TRC led a multichannel outreach program combining event marketing, media relations, and digital engagement to drive awareness of the EPIC program across California’s clean energy ecosystem. Our team developed targeted campaigns to reach researchers, startups, utilities, policymakers, and disadvantaged communities, ensuring that EPIC-funded innovations reached the stakeholders best positioned to deploy and benefit from them.
Supported Technology Transfer and Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Development
TRC helped facilitate connections between CEC-funded innovators and the broader market through pitch competitions, networking events, and exhibitor showcases. These activities supported technology transfer and helped clean energy startups gain exposure to potential investors, partners, and customers, accelerating the path from research to commercialization.
Results
Over the course of the project, TRC increased awareness of the EPIC program among clean energy stakeholders through a series of educational events—hosted both in-person and virtually—and the development of the Energize Innovation website, which provided a searchable database of hundreds of CEC-funded projects and served as the program’s digital hub.
8
educational events organized
5000+
total unique event registrations
100K+
website pageviews during project period (18 months)
Contact
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