Over 140 start-ups, investors, Fortune 500 companies, utilities convened to rapidly scale U.S. innovation
C2ES Launches Innovation Policy Matrix to Accelerate U.S. Technology Leadership and Innovation
Press Release
January 28, 2026
Media Contact: Tim Carroll at press@c2es.org.
WASHINGTON – Today, the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) released a new tool for policymakers as U.S. innovators race to win in the new energy economy. The C2ES Innovation Policy Matrix offers a roadmap for smart, effective innovation policy, informed by over 140 start-ups, investors, Fortune 500 companies, and additional stakeholders convened over the past two years by the C2ES Technology Working Groups.
Read the full Innovation Policy Matrix here.
“America is an economic powerhouse because of our technological leadership. To keep and extend that edge in the twenty-first century, we need to double down on investment in research and innovation to rapidly scale development and commercialization of promising new energy technologies,” said C2ES President Nat Keohane. “The C2ES Innovation Policy Matrix is a dynamic tool that will help policymakers identify and address barriers that are holding back American innovators from leading our economy into the future.”
The Matrix is a user-friendly, technology-neutral tool that outlines four key components necessary for policymakers to develop a comprehensive understanding of the policy needs for any given technology and the broader innovation ecosystem. These components are designed as an intuitive four-by-four model, including: key risks, innovation process stages, ecosystem functions, and policy design principles.
Put together, this Matrix identifies where the greatest concentration of risk may be for any given technology in the innovation process, creating a heatmap for where policy need will likely be the greatest. The publication also includes a “Policymaker Guide” for applying the Matrix to better diagnose policy support, ensuring the most promising U.S. innovations can succeed.
While the Matrix is tech-neutral, it was informed by America’s leading innovators and tech stakeholders across four promising low-carbon technologies:
- engineered carbon removal (ECR),
- sustainable aviation fuel (SAF),
- long-duration energy storage (LDES),
- and clean hydrogen.
The U.S. innovation ecosystem, built on nearly a century of public and private investment, has created the world’s most dynamic economy, supported by the private sector, world-class research institutions, and robust capital markets. The U.S. can lead in a range of industries of the future if the nation’s competitive advantages are leveraged to create and scale world-class clean technologies.
Smart policy, grounded in the real-world experience of innovators, financiers, and other private sector partners, can unlock opportunities for research, development, deployment, and diffusion, as well as the private capital needed to scale these technologies and win the innovation race.
As C2ES supports legislators and policymakers in utilizing the Innovation Policy Matrix, the organization will continue to expand this framework through continued exploration of the four current technologies as well as additional critical-path clean energy technologies that emerge.
To speak with a C2ES expert, contact Tim Carroll at carrollt@C2ES.org.
About the C2ES Technology Working Groups: C2ES Technology Working Groups focus on four critical-path technologies: engineered carbon removal, sustainable aviation fuel, long-duration energy storage, and clean hydrogen. These working groups provide a regular venue where stakeholders across the innovation ecosystem can convene to discuss the technical, market, and policy solutions needed to rapidly scale these technologies.
About C2ES: The Center for Climate and Energy Solutions—or C2ES—champions policies and technologies that foster thriving economies and shared prosperity, founded on abundant, affordable, and reliable clean energy and a safe climate. Founded in 1998 as the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, C2ES is known worldwide as a thought leader and trusted convener. We work with policymakers and leading businesses in the U.S. and around the world to forge durable, effective, and ambitious solutions to climate and energy challenges.
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