Energy Efficiency Applications Team
"Energy technology and impact-focused research that supports energy efficiency, energy security-resiliency, energy affordability, and the integration of complex energy systems."
The Energy Technology Integration Team is part of the Energy Policy & Economics Group. We believe that managing energy use in buildings and their connected utility systems, as well as improved technologies for enabling renewables - such as wind, water, solar, and biomass - can lead to timely solutions to our nation's energy challenges. We perform energy technology and systems research that supports energy efficiency, energy security-resiliency, energy affordability, and the integration of complex energy systems. In support of this work, the team also performs critical impact-focused studies that inform and guide this research, helping to ensure technology market readiness and acceptance and attaining goals for energy performance.
Sponsors investing in R&D want success; technology that performs as designed and investments that deliver sales and return on investment. Our team's diverse set of capabilities and tools, and our ability to tap into a broad set of scientific and technical capabilities from the Laboratory's 4,200+ workforce, allows us to build project teams to meet the most complex research challenges. Our team can increase the successful outcomes of technology R&D investments as follows:
- Perform building systems optimization and field test validation of novel energy efficient technologies and packages.
- Perform research and development to support technology and technology package identification and prioritization.
- Assess and address codes, standards, regulations, and related requirements that typically lag technology development, and turn potential showstoppers into opportunities for transforming building practices and construction methods and applying new materials and products.
- Develop and deliver training, education, and related support tools and resources (cost calculators, specifications, fact sheets) that support the infrastructure needed to foster technology acceptance.
- Engage and partner with important stakeholder organizations that influence technology acceptance.
- Conduct field performance assessments that capture information on and document attributes of new energy related technologies that can provide a much clearer view of the technology's strengths & weaknesses.
- Assess technology options for our nation's buildings including the feasibility of new energy efficiency measures, on-site generation and renewable technologies and energy storage technology. Lead the development of business cases and provide support necessary to execute such projects.
- Evaluate energy efficiency and supply options including reviews of regulatory, utility, and environmental rules; comparative economics; and contributions to energy security and federal energy and climate goals.
- Energy security analyses, including assessments of the roles of on-site generation, storage, and micro-grids in addressing grid vulnerability and reliability.
- Review and evaluate international energy and energy efficiency programs and policies and make recommendations for enhancements.
An investment in this type of work more than pays for itself; and clients who adopt these emerging technologies transform energy use in buildings and complex systems, and the community as a whole.
