{"649599":{"#nid":"649599","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Energy Policy and Innovation Center at Georgia Tech","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EOverview:\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003EIn September 2016, Georgia Tech announced the formation of the Energy Policy and Innovation Center, or EPICenter, to advance energy policy and technology innovation in the Southeast. This center will be a low-overhead, efficient organization based out of Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s Strategic Energy Institute (SEI) and will be distinctively regional, yet nationally relevant. The Center will explore the intersection of policy and technology and draw upon the extensive expertise in the Southeast, including academia, utilities, industry, key national labs, and other public and private stakeholders.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMotivation for a Regional Center\u003C\/strong\u003E: While the U.S. energy system is composed of regions with unique energy needs and opportunities, tremendous potential exists to deepen progress and coordinate action within individual regions. Broader views and approaches for energy innovation are similarly viewed as mission critical, for example by including policy, economic, even social considerations along with conventional technological factors.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhy the Southeast?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003EThe region already provides national leadership in efficiency, reliability, and cost due in part to the vertical integration of data, networks and physical resources by regulated utilities across the entire value chain. In June, Georgia Tech helped co-author a whitepaper in which distinguishing features of the energy system in the Southeastern United States were identified as follows:\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cul\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EThe presence of large, vertically-integrated, regulated utilities;\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EA comparatively low carbon resource mix that includes leadership and progress in Nuclear Power, Photovoltaics (PV), and Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS);\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003ELeadership and growth in natural gas for electricity, innovative integration of electricity and natural gas markets, and natural gas infrastructure;\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EPioneering efforts in smart metering and grid modernization;\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EOne of the largest global concentrations of industrial big data and analytics, that aggregate, analyze, and remotely control major energy infrastructure;\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EEnergy intensive industry and manufacturing;\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EFavorable regional climates for employment, access to capital, and innovative business models.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\u003C\/ul\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMission\u003C\/strong\u003E: This Center will specifically address characteristic resources, challenges, and capabilities with regional expertise, and deliver realistic solutions with maximum impact. This initiative is the first known implementation of a regional partnership to focus on the interdependencies of energy policy and technology toward the pragmatic realization of meaningful, affordable, and market-based carbon reductions. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EKey Objectives:\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003EThe Center will strive to accelerate a diversity of reliable, affordable and increasingly low-carbon energy options in the Southeast. The Center will put a premium on regional contributions that can enhance U.S. energy leadership and competitiveness. The Center will investigate challenges in both power generation and in transportation on a regional basis. Techno-economic, social and policy factors, as well as near and longer term impacts, are within the scope of consideration. Primary objectives include:\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cul\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWork Products\u003C\/strong\u003E: The Center will produce and disseminate rigorous, fact-based policy studies that will address southeastern perspectives on global, national and regional energy issues;\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EEvents\u003C\/strong\u003E: The Center will host conferences, workshops and symposiums on relevant energy issues, serving as a nonpartisan facilitator for academic, business and nongovernmental stakeholders;\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EEducational outreach and workforce development\u003C\/strong\u003E: The Center will provide opportunities for learning and information exchange among students, faculty and visiting scholars. It will also support training and workforce development with regional utilities and energy equipment providers, facilitating stakeholder collaboration and public-private energy partnerships.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\u003C\/ul\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFunding Model and External Advisory Mechanism\u003C\/strong\u003E: The Center, when fully operational, is targeting a nominal annual budget of $1.5 million. All cash and in-kind support will derive entirely from voluntary contributions of interested parties, and will be directed to a foundation established and overseen by Georgia Tech. Any requests for non-cash support made on behalf of the Center will be non-binding, performed entirely at the discretion of its partners. The Center will establish an external advisory body and invite selected regional representatives to participate. Advisors may be asked to provide recommendations and input on an as-need basis for the selection and review of work products, or for other purposes. \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPartners\u003C\/strong\u003E: A variety of strategic entities will be invited to participate in the Center, with the philosophy that a focus on common resources and shared challenges will be most effective in accelerating regional progress and disseminating learning. Stakeholder categories from which partners will be invited include:\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cul\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003ERegional Utilities\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EEnergy Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs)\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EFinancial Institutions\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003ENon-governmental organizations (NGOs)\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003ENational laboratories\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EOther research consultants\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003ECollaborating universities and energy research institutes\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\u003C\/ul\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EOperating Charter\u003C\/strong\u003E: The activities, procedures and ultimately the key deliverables of the Center will be defined by its leadership, led by the director of SEI with input from the external advisory body.\u0026nbsp; The Center itself will be responsible for its daily operational activities including the publication of work products and the coordination of engagement events and activities. The Center is in the process of defining an operational charter including, but not limited to, the following responsibilities:\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cul\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EInternal organizational structure and operating by-laws;\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EEstablishment of an external advisory body, including operating guidelines;\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EProcess for project identification, including advisory input;\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EProcess for project selection, including open solicitation mechanism;\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EProcess for interim and final review of work products;\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EEducational and outreach events scheduling;\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EPartner engagement and contributions, including sustainable funding mechanism;\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EExternal communication, including work product promotion\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\u003C\/ul\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EUpdated by the Strategic Energy Institute at Georgia Tech 1\/26\/17\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"In September 2016, Georgia Tech announced the formation of the Energy Policy and Innovation Center, or EPICenter, to advance energy policy and technology innovation in the Southeast"}],"uid":"35801","created_gmt":"2021-08-12 14:18:04","changed_gmt":"2021-08-12 14:18:04","author":"vkaza3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2017-01-26T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2017-01-26T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"groups":[{"id":"367481","name":"SEI Energy"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"6446","name":"energy policy"},{"id":"73351","name":"innovation center"},{"id":"188625","name":"e[icenter"},{"id":"83491","name":"utilities"},{"id":"1702","name":"carbon capture"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39531","name":"Energy and Sustainable Infrastructure"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}