EPRI, is an American independent,

nonprofit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

organization that conducts research and development related to the

generation A generation is all of the people born and living at about the same time, regarded collectively. It also is "the average period, generally considered to be about 20–⁠30 years, during which children are born and grow up, become adults, and b ...

, delivery, and use of

electricity Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter possessing an electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by Maxwel ...

to help address challenges in the energy industry, including reliability, efficiency, affordability, health, safety, and the environment. EPRI's principal offices and laboratories are located in

Palo Alto, California Palo Alto ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for ) is a charter city in northwestern Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a Sequoia sempervirens, coastal redwood tree known as El Palo Alto. Th ...

;

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 United ...

;

Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in Knox County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the Tennessee River and had a population of 190,740 at the 2020 United States census. It is the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division ...

;

Washington, DC Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

; and

Lenox, Massachusetts Lenox is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The town is in Western Massachusetts and part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Pittsfield Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 5,095 at the 2020 United States census ...

History

In November 1965, the Great Northeastern Blackout left 30 million people in the United States without electricity. Historic in scale and impact, it demonstrated the nation's growing dependence upon electricity and its vulnerability to power loss. The event marked a watershed moment for the U.S. electricity sector and triggered the creation of the Electric Power Research Institute. Following the blackout, leaders in

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

held hearings in the early 1970s about the lack of research supporting the power industry. Dr. Chauncey Starr, then the Dean of the

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

School of Engineering and Applied Science, led the initiative, proposed by Congress, to create an independent research and development organization to support the electricity sector and address its technical and operational challenges. In 1972, at a formal hearing of the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee, Starr presented a vision for the Electric Power Research Institute to serve Congress's mandate for objective, scientific research. Starr served as the first President of EPRI for five years and formally retired at age 65, but continued to work at EPRI for the next 30 years.

Research

According to EPRI's 2018 Research Portfolio, EPRI's work encompasses research in technology, the workforce, operations, systems planning and other areas that guide and support the development of new regulatory frameworks, market opportunities, and value to

energy Energy () is the physical quantity, quantitative physical property, property that is transferred to a physical body, body or to a physical system, recognizable in the performance of Work (thermodynamics), work and in the form of heat and l ...

consumers.

Generation

EPRI's generation research focuses on information, processes and technologies to improve the flexibility, reliability, performance, and efficiency of the existing fossil-fueled and renewable energy generating fleet.

Nuclear

EPRI conducts research on

nuclear Nuclear may refer to: Physics Relating to the nucleus of the atom: *Nuclear engineering *Nuclear physics *Nuclear power *Nuclear reactor *Nuclear weapon *Nuclear medicine *Radiation therapy *Nuclear warfare Mathematics * Nuclear space *Nuclear ...

cost-effective technologies, technical guidance, and knowledge transfer tools to help maximize the value of existing nuclear assets and inform the deployment of new nuclear technology.

Energy Delivery and Customer Solutions

EPRI's distributed energy resources and customer research area focuses on distributed energy resource (DER) integration, efficient electrification, connectivity and information technology enabling an integrated grid and

cyber security Computer security (also cybersecurity, digital security, or information technology (IT) security) is a subdiscipline within the field of information security. It consists of the protection of computer software, systems and networks from thr ...

guidance. The transmission, distribution, and substation research focuses on improving transmission asset management analytics, technology for mobile field guides, robotics and sensors to automate asset inspections, and improving understanding of

electromagnetic pulse An electromagnetic pulse (EMP), also referred to as a transient electromagnetic disturbance (TED), is a brief burst of electromagnetic energy. The origin of an EMP can be natural or artificial, and can occur as an electromagnetic field, as an ...

(EMP).

Technology Innovation

EPRI researches and develops early-stage and breakthrough technologies that could lead to promising concepts, new knowledge, and potential breakthroughs.

References

External links

Official websiteEPRI PortfolioEPRI Journal
{{authority control Energy research institutes Engineering research institutes Electric power in the United States Energy in California Research institutes in the San Francisco Bay Area Non-profit organizations based in Palo Alto, California 1973 establishments in California Research institutes established in 1973