California Energy Commission

Administers California energy programs as a United States state agency supporting clean technology development.

The California Energy Commission (CEC) is California's state energy agency and the largest state-level clean energy grant-maker in the United States. It funds clean energy research, demonstration and deployment work that supports a cleaner electricity grid and zero-emission transportation, with more than $130 million a year flowing through its flagship EPIC program alone. The commission sits inside California's broader climate and energy policy structure and uses competitive solicitations to place public money into technical projects.

Its main funding routes include the Electric Program Investment Charge, the Clean Transportation Program, the Long Duration Energy Storage Program, the Geothermal Grant and Loan Program, the Distributed Electricity Backup Assets Program and the Demand Side Grid Support Program. Funding reaches clean power, storage, charging, grid resilience and deployment work, and the award structure can be substantial; for example, the LDES program carries a maximum award of $42 million. The commission also uses ratepayer surcharges, vehicle registration fees, cap-and-trade revenue and federal pass-through dollars to finance its work.

The CEC is a strong fit for companies, research teams and public or nonprofit partners that can compete through a formal solicitation and show direct relevance to California's energy transition. Applications move through the Grant Solicitation System, while post-award management runs through ECAMS. EPIC also sets aside support for disadvantaged communities and encourages participation from women-, minority-, disabled-veteran- and LGBTQ-owned businesses, which gives the commission a clear implementation bias toward deployment, access and public benefit.