PG&E Announces 2025 Innovation Pitch Fest to Address Energy Challenges

Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is hosting the 2025 Innovation Pitch Fest, seeking breakthrough technologies to shape the energy future in California. The event will take place from September 23-25, 2025, at PG&E's Oakland headquarters, where innovators can present and discuss solutions to tackle challenges such as accelerating load growth, reducing wildfire risk, and using AI to improve safety and affordability. Up to $25 million in funding is available for selected vendors to develop and integrate solutions directly into PG&E's systems.

Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is hosting the 2025 Innovation Pitch Fest, a three-day event scheduled from September 23-25, 2025, at its Oakland headquarters. The event aims to identify and foster breakthrough technologies that can address some of the most pressing challenges in California's energy landscape. PG&E is seeking innovative solutions in areas such as accelerating load growth, reducing wildfire risk, and leveraging AI to improve safety and affordability. Up to $25 million in funding is available for selected vendors to develop and integrate their solutions directly into PG&E's systems.

The Innovation Pitch Fest is part of PG&E's broader strategy to co-create real-world solutions with external innovators. PG&E has identified 10 problem statements where bold ideas for rapidly scalable solutions are urgently needed. These include accelerating load growth, particularly the increasing energy needs of AI data centers, equitably and efficiently advancing neighborhood electrification projects, and reducing wildfire risk through enhanced technologies and community resilience. Additionally, PG&E is seeking AI-driven solutions to improve safety, affordability, reliability, and customer service, as well as operational improvements to lower energy costs for PG&E customers.

The event is open to inventors, entrepreneurs, and tech experts who can provide real-world solutions to these targeted challenges. Applicants are encouraged to review the detailed problem statements and apply by July 26, 2025. Selected applicants will present and discuss their solutions with key PG&E decisionmakers during the Innovation Pitch Fest. The funding is available through PG&E's electric R&D budget under the public purpose program Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC), which enables California investor-owned utilities to demonstrate new technologies and evaluate their support for safety, reliability, and affordability, environmental sustainability, and equity objectives.

PG&E's commitment to innovation is not new. The company has been actively working on integrating AI solutions and has held events such as the Innovation Summit to demonstrate its progress in becoming an AI-enabled energy company. The 2025 Innovation Pitch Fest is a continuation of this effort, aiming to further accelerate the development and deployment of innovative technologies that can shape the future of energy in California.

References:
[1] https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pges-2025-innovation-pitch-fest-seeks-breakthrough-technologies-to-shape-the-energy-future-302499069.html
[2] https://www.volts.wtf/p/pg-and-e-tries-to-prove-that-a-big