ETA 2021 Strategic Plan - Flipbook - Page 7
• An integrated, tightly coupled, water–energy
system of nontraditional water treatment
and renewable energy-generation sources
that also demonstrate full scale desalination
at pipe parity
• With rapid electrification of the building
and transportation sector connected with
a grid that is dependent on intermittent
renewable resources, a holistic integrated
energy systems approach is needed for cost
optimization and carbon accounting. Clear
modeling and analytical frameworks need to
be developed both for planning and controls
under this integrated systems paradigm.
Oakland EcoBlock
Getting to carbon neutrality is
only possible by setting up realworld situations, where we can
test technologies at the site or
neighborhood level — ensuring
equitable access and community
support — then using the lessons
learned to implement solutions
at scale. In partnership with the
California Energy Commission, the
City of Oakland, and UC Berkeley,
the Oakland EcoBlock project is
validating an integrated technical,
legal, financial, and community
solution to decarbonize existing urban
communities, one block at a time.
This innovative, integrated approach
combines many of the features of
urban living into a sustainable model:
retrofits that reduce energy and
water consumption and improve
resilience. The EcoBlock also mitigates
the impact on the grid of electrifying
buildings and personal transportation.
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This is an ambitious vision that requires
significant foundational shifts, but it is also
a future that we firmly believe is possible.
Working with our partners, building on a strong
foundation, and excited about the future, we are
committed to making these Strategic Initiatives
happen, in real time, on budget, and driving
relentlessly toward a zero-carbon society.
Equity and Energy Justice
The steps we take to realize this vision must result
in affordable energy access for all and equitable
distribution of the benefits of those energy
and climate investments. Mindful that research
undertaken in the public interest must meet
high standards of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and
Accountability (IDEA), we have incorporated these
values into our culture and our strategic planning
in four ways:
• Fostering a diverse workforce
• Creating a culture of inclusion
• Being aware of equity and justice and
mindful of implicit bias in our research
• Conducting research via demonstration
projects in relevant communities
We are well positioned to continue to contribute
to DOE’s mission to advance Energy Justice:
• Policy and financing
• Heat resiliency technologies and strategies
Air Quality
ETA and UC Berkeley researchers together
have developed a new type of air pollution
sensor to measure black carbon, popularly
known as soot. The research team
established a network of 100 of these sensors
across West Oakland for 100 days, creating
the largest such pollution-measurement
effort ever to be deployed in a single city.
The project was designed to address a
persistent concern from community leaders:
the need for better tools to monitor pollution
close to home. Black carbon is a major part of
diesel combustion-derived particulate matter.
It is linked to negative health outcomes
in communities near seaports, railyards,
commercial and industrial facilities, and
major freeways due to the associated marine
vessel, locomotive, and heavy-duty truck
activity. These data empower communities
to take steps to reduce their exposures and
advocate for change.
ETA is now expanding this work into other
under-resourced communities. With our
expertise in air pollution science and
technology, we are striving to make the
sensors and the information they reveal
more widely available to communities and
policymakers to support the development of
air quality improvement action plans.
• Impact of technology integration: efficiency,
storage, and renewable energy
• Air pollution monitoring and mitigation
• Supporting clean energy entrepreneurs
to bring to market innovative equitable
solutions
This Strategic Plan’s Initiatives will expand
these efforts by developing technologies that
foster community resilience, increase equity in
transportation electrification, and decarbonize
manufacturing and the grid.
Shining a Light
on Solar Financing
As rooftop solar prices have
fallen, many households at all
income levels can now save
money by going solar. However,
low- and moderate-income
households remain less likely to
adopt solar than high-income
households. How do we know
this? With support from the
Department of Energy’s Solar
Energy Technologies Office
(SETO), ETA’s Electricity Markets
& Policy (EMP) researchers
investigate questions of energy
equity — access, affordability,
financing, and more.
Researchers employ a range
of interdisciplinary methods
and tools appropriate to the
topic at hand, including primary
data, economic, and statistical
analyses; modeling; and survey
and interview-based research.
EMP researchers make a
daily impact through rigorous
analysis of the policy, economic,
and technical issues that
support a successful transition
to a clean, efficient, reliable, and
affordable electricity sector.
Sensor from West Oakland
Air Quality project.
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