The 2027 STAR Accelerator is a 4-day workshop designed to catalyze regulatory action on the most innovative solutions to advance an affordable and reliable energy system. “STAR Accelerator” is a project bootcamp where teams convene to incubate and advance groundbreaking ideas in specific geographies to address pressing energy issues. 

This program brings together advocates, regulators, policymakers, and utilities to develop and execute strategies that can enable regulatory decisions and processes to advance a reliable, affordable system. Through facilitated dialogue, peer-to-peer coaching, expert support, and multi-stakeholder problem-solving, teams will expedite critical energy efforts and leapfrog challenges.  

Accelerator will support 8-10 place-based teams to catalyze specific projects, campaigns, and policy proposals to advance regulatory solutions in targeted geographies. It is an opportunity for teams to work with dedicated space, time, and resources to spur productivity, problem-solving and inspiration, including access to a ‘faculty’ network of technical expertise. 

Trained, dedicated facilitators will guide stakeholders through complex challenges to co-create innovative and realistic pathways forward; a network of faculty, including former regulators, utility executives, and other technical experts, will provide coaching and technical expertise; and teams will benefit from working alongside other teams and sharing feedback and insights.  

RMI and United are committed to working with project teams leading up to STAR Accelerator to maximize the time spent together at the workshop. Organizers and facilitators will pressure-test each team’s objectives, help identify what they need to make fast and effective progress, and design collaborative exercises tailored to the team’s unique dynamics. 

Specifically, STAR Accelerator will boost teams through: 

• A customized experience designed to support each team including: 

• structured agendas and small group team time to meet the unique needs of each project team 

• cross-team time, skills clinics, learning sessions, and plenary activities to support connections and learning across teams 

• opportunities to network 

• faculty coaching in specific technical areas and strategy 

• 4 days of focused, intentional time and space for generative collaboration  

• Trained, dedicated facilitators to help teams productively discuss contentious topics and generate innovative solutions together 

• Actionable alliances to create critical connectivity across key stakeholders and actors  

• Access to a network of subject matter experts  

• Working alongside other teams sharing lessons learned, feedback, and inspiration 

At STAR 2025 and at previous RMI Accelerators, teams and projects benefitted from: 

• Help in convening a varied set of stakeholders for the team  

• Connectivity to a network of thought leadership and ‘faculty’ experts as well as other teams 

• Structure, facilitation, and collaborative methodology that moved stakeholders past challenges, accomplishing months of progress in days 

• Facilitated discussions of difficult issues and guided design discussions 

 
These Accelerators have a track record of results. A number of successful regulatory efforts including performance-based regulation, customer affordability protections, and large load tariff designs have come from previous Accelerator teams. STAR Accelerator 2027 will seed new solutions and results to transform and advance state utility regulation in this critical moment

A strong and compelling application must be actively under development, although it may range from a nascent idea to a project well under way. The best projects from Accelerator in previous years were those that had a very clear, well-defined problem to address in a specific state, and an understanding of what they needed from Accelerator.  

1. A committed and well-connected team champion: 

• helps identify and recruit the people needed to make their team successful. 
• shares information with the team and coordinates preparation activities 
• typically represents a vested interest in seeing the project succeed, although their

2. A multi-stakeholder team, representing all key stakeholders, from multiple organizations, typically including but not limited to: 

• state energy office, public utility commission, utility, consumer advocate 

3. An innovative project with potential for impact & scaling:

• advancing a new or unique idea that others can learn from and adapt 
• enables meaningful, systemic progress on energy affordability, meeting and managing load growth, or modernizing the distributed grid to fully leverage distributed energy resources 

4. A promising path forward: 

• The project will continue after the conclusion of Accelerator 
• requirements for further development and implementation can be identified 

Teams accepting the invitation to attend STAR Accelerator make a commitment to actively engage before, during, and after the event in order to drive a project from idea to execution, in partnership with Advanced Energy United and RMI. This engagement includes phone calls and preparation before the meeting as well as meaningful project work during the event. 

We're recruiting Champions to lead place-based project teams. The team champion is the primary point of contact and will lead their team through the recruitment process, Accelerator, and carrying the work forward beyond accelerator. Champion responsibilities include: 

• Identify a high-impact project aligned with one of the topics listed above in a specific location 

• Identify and recruit a multi-stakeholder team required to advance the project 

• Apply to Accelerator and serve as a point of contact for their team through the process, flagging team changes or challenges to RMI and United leading up to the event 

• Define team goals and deliverables 

• Continue project implementation work beyond Accelerator to drive real change 

We’re seeking multi-stakeholder perspectives. This may include: 

• Policy advocates and campaign strategists 

• Legal and regulatory experts and/or technical experts 

• Regulators and policymakers 

• State energy office and public utility commission staff 

• Utility representatives 

• Community leaders 

• Governor’s energy staff 

• Consumer advocates 

STAR Accelerator takes place at Hilton Dallas/Rockwall Lakefront in Dallas, Texas. The nearest airports are Dallas Love Field Airport (DAL) and Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW). We expect participants to join us for the entirety of the event, beginning early afternoon on April 27 and concluding after lunch on April 30.   

​Thanks to the generous support of philanthropic sponsors, Accelerator is being offered at a minimal cost to participants.  

Attendance fees support a portion of our costs and further our ability to offer a limited number of scholarships to cover travel, lodging and registration costs of individuals whose organizations need financial assistance to support their attendance. Please contact sophie.watterson@rmi.org with scholarship questions.  
 

A team submits a formal application for review.  Applications can be found here and are due XXXX, 2027.  

We encourage teams to submit an application as soon as possible. The application process is rolling and we will be reviewing applications as they are submitted. Strong applications will be accepted early to support team member recruitment and allow for more time to prepare. We may reach out to provide feedback or to ask questions regarding your application. 

A formal invitation to successful applicants to participate will be sent in February. 

Remember, this is an application process; there is no guaranteed project application. Advanced Energy United and RMI must be selective to ensure Accelerator quality; by determining opportunities for impact, and in some cases, that there is strategic alignment of project topics and Accelerator resources. 

Your team does not need to fulfill all criteria, but we will be evaluating proposals based on the following: 

• Well-scoped and place-based project, policy solution, or initiative that clearly identifies a challenge along with a venue in which the challenge can be addressed now or in the future 

• Significant or supportive initial activity on the project 

• Clear description of the proposal objective and understanding of the problem being solved 

• Clear understanding of the need from Accelerator. Does this problem require multiple stakeholders and perspectives to address effectively? 

• Clear understanding of Accelerator. Is it possible to develop clear and actionable solutions over the course of the Accelerator? 

• Stakeholder team, defined by the following metrics:  

• Multi-stakeholder perspectives included 

• Participants have the ability to effect change  

• Key stakeholders in attendance  

• Enthusiastic and well-connected team champion with the ability to sustain efforts during and after Accelerator  

• Potential for impact, as measured by level of innovation, replicability, and size of project impact 

Yes, applications are reviewed on a rolling basis and we encourage early application.  Select applications will be accepted early, with a majority of teams announced in February. 

Team champions are responsible for committing to ensuring accelerator solutions are implemented after the accelerator takes place. We filter and choose carefully which teams and projects come to the event to help ensure that we’re supporting initiatives that have a runway to continue afterwards. Having a strong purpose or objective coming into Accelerator will set teams up for success in carrying the work forward after an Accelerator concludes.