The US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Building Technologies Office (BTO) has allocated $1.7 million to advance two lab-developed innovations towards market readiness. This funding has been made possible through the FY24 Technology Commercialization Fund (TCF) Core Laboratory Infrastructure for Market Readiness (CLIMR) Lab Call, marking a significant stride in advancing energy technologies and simplifying commercialization processes.
Managed by the DOE’s Office of Technology Transitions, the TCF plays a pivotal role in ensuring that federal investments in R&D translate into viable commercial solutions. The fund also empowers national laboratories to cultivate technologies for commercial adoption and identify suitable industry partners.
These developments align with the national agenda for decarbonization and the initiative to provide affordable energy solutions to households. Notably, the selected projects are aimed at revolutionizing the heating and cooling sector, a crucial area for achieving clean energy goals.
One of the initiatives, named EcoSnap, hails from Centennial, Colorado, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Fairbanks, Alaska. This project focuses on refining ductless heat pump technology for cold climates, with the aim of simplifying installations and reducing costs. The introduction of a user-friendly refrigerant connection mechanism could potentially enable DIY installations, thus reducing reliance on professional installers. This innovation is expected to enhance performance in cold climates while minimizing refrigerant leakage rates.
Additionally, the collaboration between Somfy in Dayton, New Jersey, ConSol in Sacramento, California, and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, California, is set to usher in advanced façade controls. The project aims to validate an automated shading system designed to optimize energy consumption based on occupancy and weather forecasts. This innovative control mechanism has the potential to enhance occupant comfort while significantly reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions.
The successful commercialization of these groundbreaking projects holds the promise of accelerating the deployment of clean energy solutions essential for combatting climate change. Those interested in digging deeper into this program can visit DOE’s Technology Commercialization Fund for more information.
As these lab-developed innovations continue to make strides towards market readiness, it is evident that concerted efforts are underway to usher in a new era of clean energy technologies. The impact of these initiatives on decarbonization and the transition to sustainable energy solutions cannot be overstated.
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