The California Energy Commission's Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) Program supports energy research, development and demonstration projects that will help improve the quality of life in California by bringing environmentally safe, affordable and reliable energy services and products to the marketplace.

The PIER Program annually awards up to $62 million to conduct the most promising public interest energy research by partnering with individuals, businesses, utilities, and public or private research institutions. The PIER Building Program provided start-up funding for CLTC.

UC Davis is the largest of the 10 University of California campuses, with 5,200 acres, second in total expenditures and third in enrollment. UC Davis stands 24th in research funding among universities in the United States, according to the most recent information from the National Science Foundation. U.S. News & World Report has repeatedly ranked UC Davis among the top public universities nationally, placing it 48th. UC Davis is one of only 62 universities admitted to the prestigious Association of American Universities.

The Davis campus has undergraduate colleges of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Biological Sciences, Engineering, and Letters and Science. Undergraduate enrollment is more than 21,230 students. Graduate Studies administers graduate study and research in all schools and colleges. Professional studies are carried out in the Schools of Education, Law, Management, Medicine and Veterinary Medicine. More than 5,900 students are engaged in graduate or professional study. CLTC is part of the Design Department in the College of Letters and Science.