CEC EPIC report highlights research making grid more resilient & reliable The California Energy Commission’s (CEC) latest annual report on the Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC) program highlights how public-interest research is helping California meet its goal of decarbonizing the electrical system by 2045. EPIC is California’s premier clean energy research and development program. Each year, more than $130 million in EPIC funding is invested in projects that advance the environmental sustainability, reliability, and affordability of the electric system. EPIC funds are competitively awarded to support the most promising technologies and approaches across six investment areas: the entrepreneurial ecosystem; resilience and safety; building decarbonization; grid decarbonization and decentralization; industrial and agricultural innovation; and low-carbon transportation. EPIC invests in technologies at every stage of development, progressing them from the lab to market competition.