The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and Gas Technology Institute (GTI) are embarking on a five-year initiative to accelerate the development and demonstration of low-carbon energy technologies. With increasingly ambitious decarbonization goals from private companies and governments alike, existing technology is not enough to achieve those targets.

The Low-Carbon Resources Initiative (LCRI) is an international collaborative spanning the electric and gas sectors that will help advance global, economy-wide deep decarbonization. With 18 anchor sponsors, the LCRI leverages the collaborative research model employed by both EPRI and GTI, bringing industry stakeholders together to conduct clean energy R&D for society’s benefit. Seeded with $10 million from the EPRI collaborative, funding for the initiative is expected to be leveraged many times over its $100-million target through public and private collaboration.

Sponsors of the initiative represent a wide swath of the energy industry; these entities include: American Electric Power; Con Edison; Dominion Energy; Duke Energy; Exelon Corporation; Lincoln Electric System; Los Angeles Department of Water & Power; Missouri River Energy Services; Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, Americas; National Fuel; New York Power Authority; Portland General Electric; PPL Corporation; Salt River Project; SoCalGas; Southern California Edison; Southern Company; and the Tennessee Valley Authority.

The LCRI is targeting advancements in low-carbon electric generation technologies and low-carbon energy carriers, such as hydrogen, ammonia, synthetic fuels, and biofuels. This worldwide collaborative will:

• Identify and accelerate fundamental development of promising technologies;

• Demonstrate and assess the performance of key technologies and processes; and

• Inform key stakeholders and the public about technology options and potential pathways to a low-carbon future.

For LCRI’s anchor sponsors, the initiative represents a key step toward achieving decarbonization goals over the next thirty years.