PG&E's 2025 Innovation Pitch Fest Seeks Breakthrough Technologies to Shape the Energy Future
With up to $25 million to allocate this year for solving its toughest challenges, PG&E invites innovators to co-create real-world solutions for a cleaner, safer, and more reliable grid
OAKLAND, Calif., July 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is calling for inventors, entrepreneurs, and tech experts to help shape the future of energy in California by applying to its 2025 Innovation Pitch Fest.
The Innovation Pitch Fest will take place over three days from September 23-25, 2025, at PG&E's Oakland headquarters. It aims to identify breakthrough technologies where solutions are still emerging and where collaboration with external innovators is critical.
"We're not just looking for ideas—we're looking for partners who are ready to roll up their sleeves and help us build the energy system of the future, now," said Jason Glickman, Executive Vice President, Engineering, Planning and Strategy, PG&E. "Over the past several years, PG&E has strengthened and streamlined our innovation practices, building clearer pathways for procurement, piloting, and deployment. For entrepreneurs, this means we are building upon the promise that PG&E is where innovation goes to scale."
As a precursor to the Innovation Pitch Fest, PG&E refreshed its research and development R&D Strategy Report in November 2024 with updated problem statements, noting areas where progress has been made, and emphasizing opportunities for integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) solutions. PG&E also held its second Innovation Summit in November 2024, demonstrating how PG&E is becoming an AI-enabled energy company.
For the 2025 Innovation Pitch Fest, PG&E is further narrowing its focus to 10 problem statements where bold ideas for rapidly scalable solutions are urgently needed. PG&E wants to work side-by-side with innovators on new solutions including:
- Accelerating load growth, including the increasing energy needs of AI data centers
- Equitably and efficiently advancing neighborhood electrification projects (known as "zonal electrification")
- Reducing wildfire risk through enhanced technologies and community resilience
- Using AI to improve safety, affordability, reliability, and customer service
- Improving operations to help lower energy costs for PG&E customers
Potential participants with real-world solutions for these targeted challenges are encouraged to review the detailed problem statements and apply by July 26, 2025. Selected applicants will be invited to present and discuss their solutions with key PG&E decisionmakers at the Innovation Pitch Fest in September.
With up to $25 million in funding available to be allocated to new projects by the end of the year, PG&E plans to work closely with selected vendors emerging from the Innovation Pitch Fest to define projects and co-develop and integrate solutions directly into its systems, ensuring a fast, reliable path from concept to scaled impact.
The funding is available through PG&E's electric R&D budget under the public purpose program Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC).
EPIC enables California investor-owned utilities to demonstrate new technologies and evaluate how they support safety, reliability, and affordability, environmental sustainability and equity objectives for the benefit of all California electric customers. Additional funding sources may also be available, depending on project scope and alignment through other PG&E innovation initiatives outside of EPIC.
For more information about PG&E's updated key R&D challenges and to apply for 2025 Pitch Fest, visit https://www.pge.com/en/about/pge-systems/research-and-development.html.
About PG&E
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is a combined natural gas and electric utility serving more than sixteen million people across 70,000 square miles in Northern and Central California. For more information, visit pge.com, pge.com/news and pge.com/innovation.
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SOURCE Pacific Gas and Electric Company