Electric Program Investment Charge - Proposed 2012-14 Triennial Investment Plan

From: Energy Commission [mailto:listenergia@listserver.energy.ca.gov]

Sent: Friday, September 21, 2012 2:40 PM

To: EPIC@listserver.energy.ca.gov

The Energy Commission staff draft report "Electric Program Investment Charge- Proposed 2012-14 Triennial Investment Plan" is now available on our website. This investment plan presents the proposed project funding areas for the three year investment period.  The plan also outlines the recommended implementation processes.  This investment plan will be the focus of the September 27th workshop. The purpose of this workshop is to seek input from experts, stakeholders, and the general public on the draft report.

Following the September 27th workshop, the Energy Commission will revise the plan based on feedback, and will incorporate an implementation budget, indicating further detail on funding emphasis among initiatives. A staff final report will be issued in the mid-October time frame with anticipated Energy Commission adoption in late October. Following the Energy Commission's adoption of the plan, the CPUC will conduct a formal proceeding, starting in December 2012, to consider this plan, with anticipated adoption in May 2013.

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) established the purposes and governance for the Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC) program in Decision 12-05-037 in Rulemaking 11-10-003 on May 24, 2012. The portion of the EPIC program administered by the Energy Commission will provide funding for applied research and development, technology demonstration and deployment, and market facilitation for clean energy technologies and approaches for the benefit of ratepayers of PG&E, SDG&E, and SCE.

For more information:

http://www.energy.ca.gov/research/epic/documents/

Amanda Hildebrand awarded a US Environmental Protection Agency's STAR (EPA STAR) graduate fellowship

Amanda Hildebrand, a second-year Ph.D. student in Julia Fan’s lab in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering,  has been awarded a US Environmental Protection Agency's STAR (EPA STAR) graduate fellowship. The EPA STAR program supports masters and doctoral candidates in environmental studies. Each year, students in the United States compete for STAR fellowships through a rigorous review process, and approximately 100 fellowships are awarded. The fellowship lasts up to three years for doctoral students, and benefits include: up to $12,000 per year for tuition and fees, $25,000 per year in a monthly stipend, and an annual expense allowance of $5,000. Amanda will work on developing a new biochemical route for biofuels production from cellulosic biomass under the support of this fellowship.