The CDE was established at Georgia Tech with financial support from the Georgia Research Alliance and Georgia Tech to do advanced research and to develop technologies and holistic solutions that can transform electricity delivery and utilization. Research areas include power conversion, industrial applications, energy conservation, distributed energy resources, distributed control of the grid, security and communications in energy, microgrids, DC nanogrids, and energy access for emerging markets.  CDE partners include utilities, industry, manufacturers, research organizations, start-ups, venture capital companies, and other academic institutions with similar interests.