EPRI, the Electric Power Research Institute

The Electric Power Research Institute, known as EPRI, is one of the oldest research organizations in Stanford Research Park. It is an independent nonprofit that studies how electricity is generated, delivered and used. Power companies, government agencies and universities around the world rely on its work. Its headquarters has been in Palo Alto since its founding in the early 1970s and today sits at 3420 Hillview Avenue.

This profile covers why EPRI exists, what it works on, its Palo Alto campus and how it fits into a city that runs its own electric utility. For the setting, see our guide to Stanford Research Park.

Born after a blackout

On November 9, 1965, the Great Northeast Blackout cut power to about 30 million people in the United States and parts of eastern Canada. The event showed how much daily life now depended on electricity. It also showed how fragile the grid could be. In the hearings that followed in the early 1970s, members of Congress asked why the industry had so little shared research behind it.

In 1972 Chauncey Starr, then dean of the UCLA School of Engineering and Applied Science, presented a plan to the Senate Commerce Committee. He proposed an independent research and development organization that would support the electricity sector and answer Congress's call for objective, scientific research. EPRI was the result. Starr served as founding president for five years. He formally retired at 65 but kept working at EPRI for about 30 more years.

Wikipedia gives 1972 as EPRI's formation year. Stanford Research Park says the institute was established in Palo Alto and built shortly after Starr's testimony.

What EPRI works on

EPRI's research spans the whole electric system. Its main areas, as described on Wikipedia and by the research park, include:

• Generation. Making existing fossil and renewable plants more flexible, reliable and efficient.
• Nuclear power. Technical guidance for operating plants and research to support new reactor designs.
• Transmission and substations. Asset management, robots and sensors for inspections plus studies of threats such as electromagnetic pulses.
• Distributed energy and customers. Rooftop solar, batteries, electrification, connectivity and grid cybersecurity.

The institute runs three specialized labs and works with more than 450 companies in 45 countries. A subsidiary, EPRI International, has staff in more than a dozen countries. Its funding comes from energy companies plus academic and government partners.

Data centers and the grid

One of EPRI's most visible recent projects deals with the power demand of artificial intelligence. In October 2024 it launched DCFlex, a three-year initiative to show that data centers can adjust their electricity use to help keep the grid stable. NVIDIA, Google and Meta were among the participants. By March 2025 the group had grown to about 40 power producers, utilities and data center operators. For a city full of AI companies, the question of where their electricity comes from is not abstract.

Selected milestones

The Hillview Avenue campus

EPRI's headquarters address is 3420 Hillview Avenue, Palo Alto. Hillview Avenue is one of the main streets of the research park. The former VMware campus, where Broadcom now lists its headquarters at 3421 Hillview Avenue, is on the same stretch. Ford Greenfield Labs is farther down the same avenue at 3251.

In a 2023 profile the research park said EPRI has three specialized labs and six offices in the United States, including its Palo Alto site. Wikipedia lists its principal offices and labs in Palo Alto, Charlotte, Knoxville, Washington, D.C. and Lenox, Massachusetts. Palo Alto remains the headquarters.

Our pages on Broadcom and VMware cover those neighbors.

EPRI and Palo Alto

EPRI fits Palo Alto in a particular way. Palo Alto is one of the California cities that run their own electric utility. City of Palo Alto Utilities has sold electricity since January 16, 1900. Our page on City of Palo Alto Utilities explains how residents buy power, gas, water and fiber from the city.

The research park is also full of energy and hardware companies that care about EPRI's subjects. Tesla, carmakers working on electric vehicles and battery and chip companies all depend on a reliable grid. EPRI is one of the institutions that study how that grid should change.

Residents meet EPRI's subjects at home too. The city offers rebates for heat pump water heaters and induction cooking. Many houses now have rooftop solar and an electric car in the garage. Each of those changes shifts when and how much power a neighborhood draws. Our EV charging guide shows how the city has added public chargers.

Stanford and the research community

EPRI is not part of Stanford, but it sits on Stanford land and shares a research culture with the university. Stanford's Doerr School of Sustainability, opened in 2022, studies many of the same energy questions. Our guide to research labs near Palo Alto covers SLAC, SRI and other institutions in the same tradition.

Finding EPRI's research

EPRI publishes technical reports, data and software through its website. Some material is open to anyone. Other work is reserved for the utilities and organizations that fund it. Students, journalists and curious residents can search the public material by topic, from nuclear plant operations to home electrification. The institute also hosts conferences, including the electrification event it has held each year since 2018. It also takes part in the annual United Nations climate change conference.

Working at EPRI

EPRI hires engineers, scientists, analysts and business staff. Many roles require specialized training in power systems, nuclear engineering, chemistry or data science. Its careers pages list positions by site, so check whether a role is in Palo Alto or at one of the eastern offices. For general advice on the local market, see our guide to finding a tech job in Palo Alto.

Visiting and nearby

EPRI's campus is private. There is no visitor center, museum or public tour. Meetings are by invitation. Its research reports and public resources are online.

The Hub, at 3215 Porter Drive where Porter Drive meets Hillview Avenue and Hanover Street, is the research park's gathering place. Coupa Café runs a coffee shop there that serves breakfast and lunch on weekdays. The nearest Caltrain station is California Avenue, a bike ride away. The park's SRPGO commute program lists the shuttles and buses that serve Hillview Avenue.

Frequently asked questions