Origins of ETP and ETCC
The Emerging Technologies Program (ETP) is a California statewide program that conducts projects focused on emerging and underutilized technologies to help customer program administrators identify prospective new measures or solutions. As efficiency measures become widely adopted and “low-hanging fruit” becomes sparse, finding new measures becomes increasingly important. ETP’s role is to help fill the pipeline of new energy efficiency (EE) measures by supporting technology development, validating the performance of emerging technologies (ETs) and conducting field demonstrations.
In early 2002, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) authorized the ETP relaunch of the statewide EE programs, including the first dedicated program funding for each IOU’s portion of the statewide ETP.
That same CPUC decision included the first formal regulatory recognition of the Emerging Technologies Coordinating Council (ETCC), a collaborative working group made up of individual utility ETP staff and CEC Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) staff. The ETCC traces its origins back to February 2000, when IOU ET leaders began meeting quarterly with PIER program representatives.
Throughout its history, ETCC has facilitated collaborations where EPIC and ET research interests and opportunities intersect, in support of California’s ambitious energy and demand savings goals.