The ETCC is the only organization in California that focuses on identifying, assessing, and tracking technologies for utility customer programs. Formerly known as the Emerging Technologies Coordinating Council and now renamed as the Energy Transition Coordinating Council, the ETCC helps its members to facilitate collaborations to identify ways to accelerate the adoption of the next generation of technologies and solutions for utility customer programs.
California has long been a leader in energy efficiency and decarbonization for decades. To help achieve the state’s ambitious energy savings goals, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Southern California Edison, Southern California Gas Company, San Diego Gas & Electric, and the California Energy Commission created the ETCC in the early 2000s. In 2014, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power also joined the ETCC.
ETCC members are interested in market transformation and accelerating adoption of emerging and underutilized technologies including advanced lighting, water heating, space heating, and air-conditioning systems, for residential, commercial, agricultural, and industrial customers. ETCC members have different project needs. The CEC’s project interests span from technology research and development through commercialization and market facilitation. The California investor-owned utilities (IOUs) are interested in commercially available technologies that can be offered through customer programs as measures, often with an incentive.
All collaborations, partnerships, and ETCC operating costs are funded directly by the ETCC members; the ETCC does not have a budget for funding or conducting technology assessment projects.
Purpose and Goals
ETCC members aim to achieve the following core goals:
• Track key decarbonization technology markets to identify barriers to rapid adoption,
• Convene discussions between ETCC members, policy makers, and program implementers to design coordinated market interventions to address the barriers, and
• Strengthen the knowledge and capabilities of the ETCC community by sharing results from ratepayer-funded research and cultivating collaboration opportunities.
Engagement through Collaboration
The ETCC provides a collaborative forum for its members to exchange information on opportunities and results from their technology research activities. The ETCC conducts activities through three channels:
- ETCC website and project reports database
- ET Summit
- ETCC webinars and outreach
The ETCC also leverages partnerships with universities and research organizations, consulting firms, professional associations, technology companies, venture capitalists, and utilities when outside expertise is needed.
ETCC Website and Project Reports Database
The ETCC website serves three primary functions:
- Serve as a repository for completed project reports from ETCC members: Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Southern California Edison, Southern California Gas Company, and San Diego Gas & Electric Company.
- Promote ETCC events and technology-focused events by ETCC members and to sign users up for ETCC-event email notices.
- Archive presentations and materials from the ET Summit and other outreach events.
ET Summit and ETCC Outreach
The ETCC hosts the ET Summit, the premiere event for showcasing findings from ratepayer-funded research in support of utility customer programs. The ET Summit alternates annually between in-person meetings and virtual meetings. This event provides a venue for the ET community to come together, hear about utility program priorities, build relationships, and discuss partnering opportunities. For slides from past ET Summits, go to ETSummit.com.