ETA 2021 Strategic Plan - Flipbook - Page 9
Divisions
Dedicated to science and delivering research results that are tangible and useable from the
getgo, ETA’s four divisions host the expertise and facilities needed to turn these aggressive
goals into reality:
Building Technology & Urban Systems
Energy Storage & Distributed Resources
BTUS works closely with industry, government,
and policymakers to develop physical and
informational technologies to make buildings
and urban infrastructure more energy- and
resource-efficient, thus increasing the energy
productivity of each square foot of commercial
and residential space. BTUS informs and
develops technology and systems that are
decarbonized, grid-interactive, efficient, and
resilient, and meet the needs of their occupants
and communities equitably. Funded by and
working in close collaboration with the DOE,
Berkeley Lab is DOE’s premier lab for whole
building systems, building technology research,
and building and industrial applications. In
addition, BTUS boasts FLEXLAB®, a large-scale
energy testbed that engineers, developers,
architects, and others use to evaluate what best
optimizes a building’s energy efficiency — before
the building is built. It also includes FLEXGRID, a
system that studies controls to manage building
demand, onsite renewables, and storage to
address grid issues and lower costs for building
owners.
ESDR works to enable and accelerate the
development and adoption of new advanced
technologies for sustainable transportation,
renewable power, and energy efficiency. We
work closely with academic, government, and
industry partners to conduct foundational and
applied research that provides the groundwork
for the development of transformative new
energy technologies in the areas of energy
storage and conversion, electrical grid, advanced
materials for the energy infrastructure,
science of manufacturing, and water–energy
nexus. Funded by and working in close
collaboration with the DOE’s Office of Science,
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy,
and Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy
ESDR scientists work across a wide range of
scientific disciplines and research areas toward
development of new advanced and energyefficient technologies.
Energy Analysis & Environmental Impacts
EAEI analyzes U.S. and global energy
consumption and technical and market
opportunities to improve efficiency- and energyrelated impacts. Both state and federally funded,
EAEI focuses its research on global clean energy
analysis, resilience and adaptation, and energy
and environmental systems analysis. EAEI
is DOE’s home for several flagship projects,
including appliance energy-efficiency standards,
China- and India-related research, wind and
solar reports, state and regulatory markets, and
policy analysis and technical assistance.
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Cyclotron Road
ETA’s Cyclotron Road Division is renowned for
its fellowship program that supports leading
entrepreneurial scientists as they develop
commercially viable technology solutions for
clean energy and bring them to market. Each
year, the program recruits a cohort of scientific
innovators in a highly competitive process, and
those selected receive the unique opportunity
to “embed” at Berkeley Lab for two years. They
gain access to our state-of-the-art facilities
and our world-renowned researchers, both at
Berkeley Lab and UC Berkeley. The fellows not
only move their technologies forward, they also
bring inspiration and new ideas to the scientists
who work with them. Fellows also participate in
a structured program of intensive mentorship,
professional development, and networking.
ETA Big
Breakthroughs
Building Better Batteries | 1960s
Groundbreaking work enables materials researchers
worldwide to develop new battery chemistries and
materials — including next-gen solid state and
sodium ion batteries. The research contributes to the
optimization of every battery produced since, enabling
applications from cell phones to cars to microgrids.
Refrigerators and More | 1980s
Development of the first-ever national appliance
efficiency standards, for refrigerators, on behalf of the
U .S . Department of Energy. As a result, the average
new refrigerator-freezer in 2010 used only 44% of the
energy per year as an average new unit did in 1985 . The
program rapidly grows to include all major appliances and
equipment and expertise is shared worldwide.
Understanding Renewables | 2000s
Bridging an information gap hindering the advancement
of renewable resources, Berkeley Lab issues the first
national market reports on wind energy and solar
photovoltaics — eventually becoming world experts on
electricity markets and policy.
Innovation Accelerates | 2014
FLEXLAB®, the world’s
most advanced integrated
building and grid
technologies testbed,
opens its doors. Cyclotron
Road is founded and
initiates collaboration with
entrepreneurial scientists and engineers to facilitate and
speed critical technologies to commercialization.
1950s | It’s All About Energy Storage
Charles Tobias, founding father of
electrochemical engineering, established
the Electrochemical Research Program at
Berkeley Lab, the first to apply strict scientific
methods to this area of research and laying
the foundation for important future work in
batteries and energy storage.
1970s | Save Energy, Reduce Pollution
Art Rosenfeld establishes the Energy Efficient Buildings
Program at Berkeley Lab, For the first time, fluorescent
lighting, energy-efficient windows, and energy
simulation tools enable widespread energy-efficiency
in buildings, and indoor air quality research begins to
advance.
1990s | Touché Torchieres
Berkeley Lab pioneers
a new generation
of advanced battery
technology, develops
compact fluorescent
lamp (CFL) torchieres,
and launches
appliance standards
work in China, the world’s largest market for energy
efficiency opportunities.
2007 | Nobel Peace Prize
ETA scientists share in the Nobel Peace Prize awarded
to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and
former Vice President Al Gore for research helping to lay a
basis for mitigation and adaptation of climate change.
2015 | Saving Billions
Berkeley Lab helps DOE establish the strongest efficiency
standard in U.S. history, saving owners of rooftop air
conditioners and heat pumps an estimated $50 billion in
energy costs over the next few decades.
Carrying On | 2020
Despite the pandemic, ETA continues research and
launches the HydroGen Consortium, to develop novel
hydrogen production, and the Energy Storage Center,
to catalyze new approaches to energy storage.
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