Abridged SP FINAL-DIGITAL - Flipbook - Page 2
Foreword to Move Forward
I am proud to lead the Energy Technologies Area (ETA) at Berkeley Lab, especially during this moment, when
science is leading the way to find solutions for the most pressing and complex issues that affect us all — the
climate crisis, the pandemic, and the question of equitable access to the solutions for both. ETA researchers
are well-suited to meet this moment, and I am honored to work with them on the challenges and research
articulated in this 2021 ETA Strategic Plan Refresh.
There is consensus in the scientific community that mitigation simply is not enough to combat climate
change, while providing affordable energy access to all. Society as a whole must enthusiastically embrace
clean-energy technologies, develop policies for adaptation, and move forward confidently with ambitious
negative emissions strategies to solve our interlocking complex challenges.
ETA scientists are well-poised to research innovative solutions, and are looking forward to building on
the strong foundation we have developed over the past 50 years. Today we have an unprecedented
opportunity to bring to market energy-efficient innovations across the buildings, transportation, and
industrial sectors. We are at the forefront of developing better batteries for electric vehicles; improving the
country’s aging electrical grid and innovating distributed energy and storage solutions; developing gridinteractive efficient buildings; and providing the most comprehensive market and data analysis available
worldwide, for renewable technologies like wind and solar.
We are also investing in our people. This Strategic Plan goes to print when science has rapidly delivered
vaccines to the pandemic. I am so proud of our scientists and staff. During this pandemic, our researchers
have soldiered on, continuing to conduct their important work — on indoor air quality to understand
transmission pathways for airborne pathogens like SARS-CoV-2 and delivering real-world and real-time
strategies for improving air quality while sheltering in homes during wildfires and Public Safety Power
Shutoffs.
Clean-energy entrepreneurs are also learning new ways to onboard at critical moments in their careers.
We are excited about the early career researchers who are joining this scientific enterprise as we grow our
bench with a talented and diverse pipeline of researchers.
