California Public Interest Energy Research (PIER)

Welcome to the archived Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) project web site. In 1996, Assembly Bill 1890 restructured the California electricity industry. Legislation also authorized collection of a surcharge on retail electricity sales to ensure a continuation of public interest energy research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) projects. The PIER program was established at the California Energy Commission in 1998 to implement this provision. California leads the nation in fostering and implementing new sources of electricity to sustain its economy while preserving its natural environment. The contributions of PIER to this effort were recognized by legislation extending its original charter through 2012.

Public Resources Code Section 25620.9(a) directed that an independent panel be established to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the PIER program. The California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) assisted the California Energy Commission (CEC) in the review process. CCST helped the CEC identify independent review panel members and managed two PIER independent reviews - the 1st PIER Independent Panel Review (1999-2001) and the 2nd PIER Independent Panel Review (2003-2005).