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INTRODUCTION
We are committed to enabling reliable, affordable, and secure energy while protecting the environment. Through science-based research and global collaboration, we help improve today's power generation assets, pave the way for emerging energy technologies, and inform society on evolving aspects of energy supply and environmental management. We’ll continue to add content to the EPRI Value library, so bookmark this page and check it often. Learn more about Generation Research here.
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VIEW COUNCIL OBJECTIVES
The Generation Sector Council Objectives align EPRI's portfolio with industry priorities. The Objectives cover topics related to the full lifecycle of existing and emerging assets: project development, operation and maintenance, cross-cutting solutions, and post-closure considerations. Click the image to learn more.
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Success Stories highlight impactful projects and research outcomes achieved by EPRI and its member utilities. These stories demonstrate how members have applied EPRI's research and tools to solve real-world challenges with benefit to their operations and the industry.
SUCCESS STORIES
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Several examples of technology transfer and application of EPRI’s generation research are highlighted in brief videos.
VIDEOS
Cyber Security Incident Response Playbooks
Adaptive Predictive Expert Control Optimizer
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Council Objectives
2025 TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER AWARDS
EPRI’s annual Technology Transfer Awards celebrate members who have shown exceptional application of EPRI research and technology in solving a problem of size and significance, championing a technology both with their companies and across the industry, driving progress in the industry, and providing meaningful benefits for their companies’ stakeholders and for society.
TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER AWARDS
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VIEW ALL TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER AWARDS
Success Stories
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We are committed to enabling reliable, affordable, and secure energy while protecting the environment. Through science-based research and global collaboration, we help improve today's power generation assets, pave the way for emerging energy technologies, and inform society on evolving aspects of energy supply and environmental management. We’ll continue to add content to the EPRI Value library, so bookmark this page and check it often. Learn more about Generations research here
The Generation sector leadership team and Council have developed 10 Council Objectives to help ensure alignment of EPRI R&D with key industry priorities. The list spans numerous challenges associated with the full lifecycle of existing and emerging assets, including project development, operation and maintenance, cross-cutting solutions, and post-closure considerations. While this list is intended to help ensure strategic alignment of EPRI R&D over time, the expectation is that the amount of emphasis placed on achieving specific objectives can – and will – change based on evolving industry needs. Solutions are not exclusive to the category in which they are listed, as advancements to existing assets may also apply to emerging assets, and vice versa. These objectives are foundational to discussions during Generation Council meetings. During our time together, we will address these objectives in the context of broader efforts to fill R&D gaps across the full asset lifecycle.
Highlights from the 2024 Technology Transfer Awards Ceremony
Super 304H Steel Life Assessment Methodology
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VIEW TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER AWARDS WEBSITE
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COUNCIL OBJECTIVES
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Optimize and extract maximum value from the gas fleet
Minimize the total lifecycle cost and maximize value of renewables assets
Minimize post-closure costs for generation assets
Leverage AI and digital technologies to optimize fleet operations
Ensure the Reliability of the coal fleet
Enable CCS decarbonization pathways for natural gas
Enable broad deployment of energy storage
Enable Emerging fuels decarbonization pathways
Develop a risk-informed evaluation methodology for investments and project management
Accelerate deployment timelines from first-of-a-kind to nth-of-a-kind
Current state: The operation of the gas fleet is evolving over the 30- to 50+-year operating life of the plant, primarily driven by the incorporation of larger shares of variable generation. Industry need: Develop a systematic approach for assessing the evolution of needs and determine optimal operating, maintenance, and investment strategies over the life of the gas assets to deliver value in an environmentally responsible manner. EPRI’s role: Develop technical resources supporting design, development, and lifecycle operational decisions that will lead to maximizing the value of the gas assets over the operating lifetime.
R&D to Enable a Customer Focused Energy Supply Transition Energy companies in markets around the world are leading transformational change, while working to maintain affordability and reliability for customers. As an independent R&D organization with a public-purpose mission, EPRI has established Generation sector Council Objectives serving as a North Star in fulfilling its commitment to identify and advance technical solutions benefitting society.
Current state: While the first generation of wind and solar assets have been built in a highly competitive environment that incentivizes capital cost minimization, the next generation will need to operate with higher reliability and performance, while providing more flexibility and grid services. Other renewable assets, such as hydropower, have delivered reliable power for decades and are today candidates for uprates and other enhancements to optimize operation and extend their useful life. Industry need: Drive operational experience into better designs, guidelines, and tools to manage plants more effectively and minimize total lifecycle costs. Integrated life management resources are needed to help with procurement, quality programs, and lifecycle equipment health, while circular economy practices support environmental performance. Finally, there is a need to apply these principles to newer renewable energy technologies such as geothermal, offshore wind, and biomass, where the technologies are finding market potential. EPRI’s role: Build a library of technical resources supporting design, development, and lifecycle operational decisions to minimize costs for renewable assets crucial to driving decarbonization. Foster technical exchange among asset owners and operators to ensure sharing of lessons learned and identification of emerging priorities.
Current state: Although the maturity of digitalization initiatives within utilities is highly variable, most organizations agree that there is opportunity to leverage data more effectively in managing asset performance and reliability, implementing automation in support of more dynamic power plant and system operations, and improving security through comprehensive procedures for protection, detection, and recovery. Industry need: Provide comprehensive analysis of artificial intelligence digitalization options, including cost/benefit analysis techniques to assist decision-making and implementation guidelines. Identify opportunities for artificial intelligence tools and technologies to supplement existing staff and systems to improve operational efficiency. Support the shift towards remote operations for energy supply assets and the growing need to improve alarm notification and management for operators as digitalization initiatives continue to grow. Support the workforce in leveraging digital tools. EPRI’s role: Establish a library of technical resources supporting option analysis, economic evaluation, and rigorous implementation of digitalization technologies supported by industry networking to exchange lessons learned and best practices.
Current state: Time horizons for coal fleet closure vary and can change. Managing both the asset and the staff through its full lifecycle and into retirement requires understanding of several risks, including managing the potential for a delayed closure and the operational implications of changing the role of an asset. Industry need: Ensure the coal fleet is in a condition to continue to operate reliably, affordably, safely, and environmentally responsibly. EPRI’s role: Develop a risk management framework that can be used to allow for optimal operating and maintenance decisions for the coal fleet through its full lifecycle and into retirement.
Current state: The buildout of renewables and the continued operation of existing thermal assets are driven by minimizing total installed cost and production cost. This can and historically has increased post-closure costs in the form of remediation, waste disposal, etc. These costs are increasing as new regulations are creating more ongoing requirements. Industry need: Reducing post-closure costs and minimizing potential liabilities require new technologies and methods, including actions that can be taken during operation to prepare for site repurposing or retirement in a cost-effective and environmentally responsible manner. For new renewables, it is important to establish designs that encourage the recycling/reuse of materials to develop circular economy pathways. EPRI's role: Identify and prioritize post-closure cost-reduction opportunities. Develop and test new technologies and methods. Connect with stakeholders to establish a value chain for recycled renewables byproducts. Outline the results through guidelines to facilitate implementation and regulatory acceptance.
Current state: As wind and solar assets continue to deploy and become the predominant source of power generation, energy storage is expected to grow and support demand and grid reliability. Industry need: As the energy system relies increasingly on variable renewables, shortduration batteries, large-scale pumped hydro, and emerging long-duration technologies could all play a role in addressing energy demand, helping ensure resource adequacy, and providing grid services. In a marketplace crowded with emerging technologies, evaluating the roles and deployment of potential industry storage solutions requires specialized expertise in selecting technologies, designing and operating assets, and planning for endof-use. EPRI’s role: Conduct assessments for case studies where broader energy storage deployment may be needed and create technical resources supporting design, development, and lifecycle operational decisions for deployment.
Current state: Global deployment of power generation CO2 capture and storage (CCS) is limited to four coal-fired facilities and one smaller-scale gas turbine application that is no longer operational. CO2 capture technologies for natural gas units require 10 to 20 commercial-scale deployments to prove market viability, cost trajectory, and risk management. Industry need: The power sector needs to deploy CCS at scale as part of a comprehensive set of solutions to meet net-zero targets, and there have been no deployments of CCS on gas power plants to date. As CCS deploys in the power sector, energy companies need to identify unique considerations for existing site applications vs. new site builds. As incentives drive CCS growth in other industries, it is important that the power sector understand how to best leverage new CO2 transport and storage infrastructure. EPRI’s role: Develop a library of technical resources supporting design, development, and lifecycle operational decisions that will lead to least-cost and timely deployment of CCS for natural gas power generation.
Current state: The current gas fleet is projected to play a role in supporting the energy transition but faces pressure to decarbonize. Units with low capacity factors may not be economically suitable for CO2 capture. Alternative, emerging fuels could provide reduced CO2 emissions while supporting reliability and resilience. Industry need: Transitioning to emerging fuels will require new value chains and infrastructure to produce, store, and deliver fuels to power generation facilities. With assets capable of handling 100% hydrogen and ammonia not yet available, today’s power plant operators need to understand the quantity of low-carbon fuels existing assets can use without significant modifications. EPRI’s role: Build a library of technical resources supporting design, development, and lifecycle operational decisions that could lead to deployment of economic and robust lowcarbon fuels supply chains for power generation.
Current state: Many types of power generation technologies are likely needed to support the energy transition. While many of today’s commercially available technologies will continue to increase in deployment (e.g., solar, wind, gas), nascent technologies require additional support to achieve commercial scale. Industry need: History has shown that implementing new energy supply technologies takes a thoughtful, phased approach to demonstration and deployment at scale. Accelerating emerging, low-carbon technologies toward the scale and cost required for broad deployment involves conducting several full-scale demonstrations and sharing learnings broadly across the industry. EPRI’s role: Develop a prioritized methodology to identify and support activities that can accelerate deployment of emerging energy supply technologies.
Current state: Utilities are confronting the multi-pronged challenge of rapidly expanding their energy supply fleet, transitioning from one set of legacy assets to a new set of technologies, and maintaining or increasing reliability in the face of more dynamic system requirements and growing threats to asset resilience. At the same time, the workforce transition continues with the most experienced staff leaving organizations, and supply chains are changing with increased concern over quality and timing of equipment delivery, placing a substantial challenge to utility staff in managing projects from development through commissioning and through operations. Industry need: Develop risk-informed, comprehensive tools and resources to support the project execution side of energy supply investments, including in new generation, upgrades to existing assets, and myriad investments that could achieve increased system flexibility where no clear ‘best’ answer currently exists. Determine key decision points and actions to help ensure reliability and affordability across the asset lifecycle. EPRI’s role: Establish a list of key resources needed by utility staff to improve project execution, including design specifications, commissioning and quality guidelines, and data information cost/benefit analysis and decision-making. Identify opportunities to leverage EPRI’s collaborative model to improve information-sharing and support the workforce in leading a successful transition.
EXISTING ASSETS
EMERGING ASSETS
CROSS-CUTTING
2025
2024
VIEW The TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER AWARDS homepage
Automation Index for Combined Cycle Unit 3002033619
Enhanced Flexibility and AGC Control 3002033618
Long-Term Catalyst Assessment for CO, NOx, and VOC 3002033617
Super 304H Steel Life Assessment Methodology 3002033620
Material Specifications for New Plant Design 3002033622
Best Practices in Fitness for Service 3002033623
Concrete Thermal Energy Storage Pilot 3002033624
Wind Turbine Health Monitoring 3002033625
Digitalization of Wind and Solar Assets 3002033626
Flexible Solar PV Integration 3002033627
Advanced Gas Turbine Self-Maintenance Guidance 3002033628
Phased-Array UT Inspection for Turbine Blades 3002033629
Infared Drones Reduce Risk and Cost in Air-Cooled Condenser Inspections 3002030920
Leadership in Exploring a New Groundwater Monitoring Approach 3002030921
Development of a Minimum Operating Temperature Framework for Thermal Plants 3002030922
Corrosion Product Monitoring Optimization 3002030923
Independent GT24 Combustion Tuning Technical Basis Development 3002030924
Novel Application of Traveling Screens for Fish Protection 3002030925
Creation of Bifacial PV Performance Measurement Technique 3002030926
Multi-Technology Approach to Increase Fish Survivability 3002030927
Hydrogen with Natural Gas Blending in a Grid-Connected Reciprocating Internal Combustion Engine 3002030928
Mitigation of Yaw Issues in Wind Turbines to Improve Annual Energy Production 3002030929
In-Situ Rotor Lifespan Analysis Improves Precision Maintenance 3002030931
Click on each Council Objective to learn more.
Automation Index for Combined Cycle Unit (2024)
Ensure the reliability of the coal fleet
Enable emerging fuels decarbonization pathways
Develop a risk-informed evaluation methodology for investment and project development
Advanced Gas Turbine Self-Maintenance Guidance (2024)
Best Practices in Fitness for Service (2024)
Blending Hydrogen with Natural Gas in an Aeroderivative Simple-Cycle Gas Turbine and in a Heavy-Duty Frame Combined-Cycle Gas Turbine (2022)
Cold Weather - Minimum Operating Temperature (2023)
Enhanced GT24 Combustion Tuning & Operability Guide (2023)
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Gas Turbine Digital Twin (2022)
GE 7EA Hot Gas Path (HGP) Outage Guide (2022)
Infrared Drone Inspections of an Air Cooled Condenser (2023)
Limited Gas Turbine Rotor Life Extension (2023)
Long-Term Catalyst Assessment for CO, NOx, and VOC (2024)
Material Specifications for New Plant Design (2024)
Modified Operations of Traveling Screens for Fish Protection (2023)
Phased-Array UT Inspection for Turbine Blades (2024)
Super 304H Steel Life Assessment Methodology (2024)
Existing Assets
Emerging Assets
Cross- Cutting
OBJECTIVE 1: OPTIMIZE AND EXTRACT MAXIMUM VALUE FROM THE GAS FLEET
OBJECTIVE 2: MINIMIZE THE TOTAL LIFECYCLE COST AND MAXIMIZE RENEWABLES ASSETS
Access annual degradation of bifacial modules (2023)
Solar PV Subhourly Clipping Model Error Correction (2026)
Hydropower Monitoring with Ultrasonic Vibration Monitoring Systems (UVMS) (2026)
Digitalization of Wind and Solar Assets (2024)
Wind Turbine Health Monitoring (2024)
Wind Turbine Optimum Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Budget Forecasting Using Advanced Reliability Mixture Methods (2022)
Wind Turbine Yaw Misalignment Identification and Rectification to Increase Production Revenue (2023)
OBJECTIVE 4: ENSURE THE RELIABILITY OF THE COAL FLEET
Environmental Controls and Solutions (2023)
Enhanced Flexibility and AGC Control (2024)
Best Practices for Fitness for Service (2024)
Advanced Random Forest Algorithms: Development and Application for Power Plant Systems (2022)
Oxygenated Treatment Optimization to Reduce Corrosion and Deposition (2023)
Risk-Informed Cyber Security Program Optimization Methodology (2022)
OBJECTIVE 3: LEVERAGE AI AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES TO OPTIMIZE FLEET OPERATIONS
High Level Flexibility Assessment and Benchmarking Tool Development, Implementation and Dissemination to the Indian Industry in 2022 workshops (2022)
Relative Impact Framework (2026)
OBJECTIVE 5: MINIMIZE POST-CLOSURE COSTS FOR GENERATION ASSETS
Concrete Thermal Energy Storage Pilot
OBJECTIVE 6: ENABLE BROAD DEPLOYMENT OF ENERGY STORAGE
Coming Soon!
OBJECTIVE 7: ENABLE CCS DECARBONIZATION PATHWAYS FOR NATURAL GAS
Blending Hydrogen with Natural Gas in a Grid-Connected Reciprocating Internal Combustion Engine (2023)
OBJECTIVE 8: ENABLE EMERGING FUELS DECARBONIZATION PATHWAYS
WEC and EPRI Put Fuel Blend Composition Monitoring and Outdoor Hydrogen Leak Detection to the Test (2025)
OBJECTIVE 9: ACCELERATE DEPLOYMENT TIMELINES FROM A FIRST-OF-A-KIND TO NTH-OF-A-KIND
OBJECTIVE 10: DEVELOP A RISK-INFORMED EVALUATION METHODOLOGY FOR INVESTMENT AND PROJECT DEVELOPMENT
EPRI and Research Collaborators Pioneer Innovative Process for Wetlands Identification (2025)
EPRI Works with Energy Companies to Test Bat Roost Options in Power Line Corridors (2024)
Integrated Path Continuous Emission Monitoring (2026)
Air Cooled Condenser - Infrared Drone Inspection Methodology (2026)
Generator Health Assessment Tool (GHAT) (2026)
Developing Consistent Heat Input Curves for More Acceptable Dispatch: Conventional and Combined Cycle Units (2026)
Generator Borescope Inspection Program (2026)
Pre- and Post-Outage Testing Methodology: Conventional and Combined Cycle Units (2026)
Vegetation Management (2022)
Cyber Security Integrated Risk Application (2026)
Application of Online Metallurgical and Tube Lifing Tools for Management and Remaining Life Assessment of Thermal Power Plant Components (2026)
Reevaluating the Groundwater Monitoring Paradigm and a New Approach to Groundwater Sampling (2023)
H2EDGE Fast Track Program (2026)
Enabling the Broad Deployment of Energy Storage: How EPRI's Independent Validation Helped Advance Energy Dome's CO2 Battery from Pilot to Commercial Reality
Adaptive Predictive Expert Control Optimizer (2026)
Application of Ultrasonic Flow Sensors for Detecting Spray Water Block Valve Leak-by in HRSG Attemperators (2026)
Flexible Operations Cost Management Tool (2026)
Optimization of Dissimilar Metal Weld Designs for State-of-the-Art HRSGs (2026)
Process Control Enhancements for Improved Plant Flexibility (2026)
Anomalous Behavior of Turbine Pitch Controller Settings – Identification and Mitigation Using Physics-Guided Machine Learning Model (2026)
Flexible Solar PV Integration (2024)
Inverter Cyber Security Architecture and Technical Assessment (2026)
Wind Turbine Techno-Economic Assessment for Strategic Decisions on Repowering and Capital Budget Upgrades (2026)
Cyber Security Incident Response Playbooks (2026)
Videos
Long Term Catalyst Assessement for CO, NOx, and VOC
Enhanced Flexibility and AGC Control
Automation Index for Combined Cycle Unit
2024 EPRI Generation Sector Technology Transfer Award Winners
2023 EPRI Generation Sector Technology Transfer Award Winners
Material Specifications for New Plant Design
Best Practices in Fitness for Service
Wind Turbine Health Monitoring
Digitalization of Wind and Solar Assets
Flexible Solar PV Integration
Advanced Gas Turbine Self-Maintenance Guidance
Phased-Array UT Inspection for Turbine Blades
Infrared Drones Reduce Risk and Cost in Air-Cooled Condenser Inspections
Leadership in Exploring a New Groundwater Monitoring Approach
Development of a Minimum Operating Temperature Framework for Thermal Plants
Corrosion Product Monitoring Optimization
Independent GT24 Combustion Tuning Technical Basis Development
Novel Application of Traveling Screens for Fish Protection
Creation of a Bifacial PV Performance Measurement Technique
Multi-Technology Approach to Increase Fish Survivability
Hydrogen with Natural Gas Blending in a Grid-Connected Reciprocating Internal Combustion Engine
Mitigation of Yaw Issues in Wind Turbines to Improve Annual Energy Production
In-Situ Rotor Lifespan Analysis Improves Precision Maintenance
Accelerating Deployment of Plant Controls through Advanced Simulation Environments
Electrolysis and the Water-Energy Nexus
Integrated Life Management of Wind Turbine Bolts
Reducing Rotor Life Extension Risk Through Material Analysis
Inside EPRI’s Generation Labs
Hydropower Monitoring with Ultrasonic Vibration Monitoring Systems (UVMS)
Wind Turbine Techno-Economic Assessment for Strategic Decisions on Repowering and Capital Budget Upgrades
Anomalous Behavior of Turbine Pitch Controller Settings – Identification and Mitigation Using Physics-Guided Machine Learning Model
Application of Online Metallurgical and Tube Lifing Tools for Management and Remaining Life Assessment of Thermal Power Plant Components
Application of Ultrasonic Flow Sensors for Detecting Spray Water Block Valve Leak-by in HRSG Attemperators
Flexible Operations Cost Management Tool
Process Control Enhancements for Improved Plant Flexibility
Inverter Cyber Security Architecture and Technical Assessment
Optimization of Dissimilar Metal Weld Designs for State-of-the-Art HRSGs
2025 EPRI Generation Sector Technology Transfer Award Winners
