Emerging Technologies
Encouraging Innovation
Beyond Technologies
Emerging Technologies. EPRI's Technology Radar interactive tool helps energy professionals explore and follow transformative new technologies. The online resource tracks nearly 50 emerging technologies. In October, TI launched its inaugural TechRadar Pulse Report, which analyzes emerging technologies, market disruption potential, technology readiness levels, and commercialization timelines. Space-based solar power is one of these emerging technologies, and TI's August white paper, Power Beaming Aspects of Space-Based Solar Power, examines its opportunities and remaining challenges.
Bringing New Technology Online. New nuclear designs, including several approaches to small, modular reactors, offer the promise of faster construction and safer operation. Some designs are even being tailored for individual industrial sites. EPRI provides customized, expert guidance for each project stage, from identifying technology requirements to commissioning and operations. Additionally, EPRI is monitoring advances in fusion technology. New breakthroughs in materials science, manufacturing, computational power, and artificial intelligence are speeding fusion's shift from fundamental research to applied engineering.
Encouraging Innovation. In 2024, EPRI continued its Global Innovation Effectiveness Project, which leverages the world's largest benchmark of utility innovation capabilities to help participating companies measure their own performance and improvements. Additionally, EPRI's Incubatenergy Labs held its seventh startup accelerator program, connecting established energy providers with promising early-stage startups.
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Beyond Technologies. The power industry's traditional cost-of-service regulation is in the early stages of a profound transformation. EPRI is now collaborating with industry stakeholders to explore future scenarios and business models. EPRI also convened a utility business model interest group to share perspectives. This kind of outreach also informed 2024's 24/7 Carbon Free Energy (CFE) Buyers Forum project, which brought together sellers of 24/7 CFE, the U.S. federal government, and data center owners interested in purchasing 24/7 CFE. Participants addressed technical and contractual challenges for developing 24/7 CFE commercial power supply agreements and regulated utility tariffs.
