About Us
Who we are
The Energy Policy Institute is located on the campus of Boise State University in Idaho's capital city, where EPI researchers have direct access to Idaho's policymakers and many companies involved in the energy industry.
EPI is an integral part of the Center for Advanced Energy Studies (CAES), which is a public/private partnership between the Idaho National Laboratory, Boise State University, the University of Idaho, Idaho State University, and private industry. EPI is comprised of core staff and affiliate policy researchers and educators from the four CAES institutions. EPI has the unique capability to leverage the know-how of researchers and faculty from the CAES partners to match specific research projects and the needs of stakeholders and funding agencies at the national, regional, and local levels.
What We Do
Through its core EPI staff and affiliate researchers from the CAES partners, EPI has the resources to provide robust and timely research that meets the challenges of an increasingly carbon-constrained economy, which include the need for energy and environmental security, as well as sustainable economic development. EPI research focuses on both innovation and the more routine but critical mission of improving government performance in the implementation of energy policy. EPI seeks to inform and educate policymakers and other stakeholders to aid them in making decisions about energy.
Important research questions that EPI seeks to comprehensively address are, "How do we make the most appropriate choices in regard to energy usage and meeting demand, and how do we better understand the important issues in regard to siting energy infrastructure in the most appropriate places?" These overarching questions have national, state, and local significance and are of particular importance to the arid West. In addition, EPI researchers aim to assist policymakers and stakeholders through the development of decision support tools so that they can make more informed decisions, without dictating what those decisions should be. Finally, EPI supports CAES technical initiatives to help scientists and engineers disseminate information to decision-makers and the public.
What is CAES?
Founded in 2006, the Center for Advanced Energy Studies is a public/private partnership comprised of Boise State University, the University of Idaho, Idaho State University, private industry, and the Idaho National Laboratory. CAES integrates resources, capabilities and expertise to create new research capabilities, expand researcher-to-researcher collaborations, and enhance energy-related educational opportunities. From a broad energy perspective that includes fossil, renewable, alternative energy, environmental stewardship, energy policy studies, and a focus on the role of commercial nuclear power, CAES delivers innovative, cost-effective, credible energy research leading to sustainable technology-based economic development. Major CAES initiatives include advanced materials, nuclear science and engineering, energy policy, carbon management, and bioenergy.
The CAES Laboratory is adjacent to the Idaho National Laboratory buildings on the Snake River. The CAES facility is a state-of-the-art, 55,000 square foot lab dedicated in 2009. It has a Gold certification from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System.