Sandbox Expert Assistance

Technical Assistance: Regulatory Sandbox Design & Implementation for Advanced Grid Technologies

State agencies and public power and cooperative utilities may send an email to Grace Relf ([email protected]) at any time with questions or to request a general or tailored educational briefing under the Sandbox Exploration option. Apply for Sandbox Expert Assistance or Sandbox Deep Dive services by completing a short form online. We encourage applications for Expert Assistance and Deep Dive services by February 13, 2026, but will continue to accept applications on a rolling basis while resources are available.

Objectives

Thoughtful sandbox design, coupled with flexible implementation strategies, enable utilities to innovate while mitigating any potential risk to customers.

This level of technical assistance helps answer specific questions and overcome challenges in designing and implementing sandbox-type mechanisms based on emerging best practices in the United States and beyond. Technical assistance can help states or utilities that have a good sense of how to structure a new sandbox, but need support to develop specific design or implementation elements. This level of technical assistance also can help states and utilities refine an existing sandbox or innovation mechanism

Activities

Berkeley Lab will provide expert assistance support over several months (about 100 hours of technical assistance per state or utility) for activities such as the following:

Virtual educational sessions and consultations on key questions
Customized research presentations
Development of tailored resources and materials
Real-time problem-solving support for sandboxes in progress

Availabilty

Berkeley Lab anticipates providing Sandbox Expert Assistance services to ~2–3 states or utilities per year.

Examples

Applicants may consider requesting support for such narrowly scoped issues such as:

Identification of modifications to rules and regulations to enable innovation, while protecting customers, considering the state’s unique regulatory landscape
Modification of a model straw sandbox proposal
Development of streamlined templates for project applications, project reviews, and project reporting and evaluation
Refinements to the process for scaling successful trials
Design of stakeholder engagement processes
Review of specific elements of an existing sandbox framework to assess its functionality, identify areas for improvement, and develop possible solutions

How to Apply

State agency or utility representatives can apply for Sandbox Expert Assistance by completing this short form online. Direct questions to Grace Relf ([email protected]).