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Organizers:Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory | https://eta.lbl.govUniversity of California, Berkeley, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics | https://are.berkeley.edu/ Time: Monday, November 4th at 5:00 - 6:00 pm US Pacific timeLanguage: EnglishRegistration: Register in advance for this meeting: https://lbnl.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_AUJsipNZRd2VvHaX6nb5Qw. After registering, you... Read more

On May 21st 2024, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and Energy Innovation co-hosted two webinars, in both English and Chinese, to launch its report: Clean Industry in China: A Techno-Economic Comparison of Electrified Heat Technologies, Barriers, and Policy Options. The webinars were attended by over 70 participants, with participants from governmental agencies, universities,... Read more

Report Release Webinar: Electrification of Industrial Heating in ChinaNovember 29, 2023 at 10AM – 11AM Beijing timeNovember 28, 2023 at 6PM U.S. PT / 9PM U.S. ETThe industrial sector in China accounts for roughly two-thirds of China’s total primary energy use and energy-related carbon dioxide emissions. In fact, China’s industrial sector energy consumption is larger than the total national... Read more

Mary Ann Piette, whose research has been foundational to improving energy efficiency of existing buildings and integrating flexible building technologies with the electric grid, has been appointed Associate Laboratory Director (ALD) of the Energy Technologies Area (ETA). The appointment, which took effect August 2, follows a national search. Piette has served as the interim ALD of ETA since... Read more

Limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels will require severely cutting greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 50% by 2030. Doing so calls for the immediate, large-scale adoption of energy efficiency, renewable energy, electrified transportation, high-performance batteries, low-carbon grids, and carbon capture and storage technologies across all sectors globally. This... Read more

India can achieve its vision of energy independence by 2047, according to a new study titled Pathways to Atmanirbhar Bharat (which translates to “self-reliant India”), released by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab). Examining India’s three most energy intensive sectors (power, transport, and industry), the study determined that achieving... Read more

Diesel-fueled freight trucks play an outsized role in producing India’s total greenhouse gas and air pollution emissions. While the country has promoted policies to transition to electric vehicles for public transportation buses and cars, batteries that can power such large trucks have been too heavy and expensive to make their electrification possible. A new study from the Department of... Read more

Falling costs for both renewable energy and battery storage create an opportunity for China to exceed its current policy goals for decarbonizing power while cutting energy costs and increasing energy security. A new study led by researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) finds China could reach 80% carbon-free electricity by 2035 while reducing consumer costs. It could do... Read more

Experts from the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) will play leading managerial and technical roles in the recently established Net Zero World Action Center to bolster DOE’s Net Zero World Initiative (NZWI). The NZW Action Center brings together 10 DOE national laboratories, nine U.S. government agencies, and philanthropy organizations to promote net... Read more

Research using software developed at Berkeley Lab recently pinpointed actions that could help the historic canal city of Venice, Italy slash energy use and reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The study, which was recently published in the journal, Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments, looked at how upgrades to existing housing (also known as retrofits) could have an impact on emissions and... Read more

A modernized power grid fueled by renewable energy is at the heart of China’s pledge to reach carbon neutrality by 2060, and a new study by researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) outlines how China can overcome the current logistical challenges of decarbonizing its power system by reforming some key select operational practices.... Read more

Dramatic cost reductions over the last decade in battery storage and wind and solar energy position India to leapfrog to a more sustainable system for delivering affordable and reliable power to serve near a doubling in electricity demand by 2030, according to a new study by researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab). India, with a... Read more

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Building Efficiency Targeting Tool for Energy Retrofits (BETTER) is a free, award-winning online tool developed by Berkeley Lab with support from DOE’s Building Technologies Office (BTO) that increases the speed and scale of energy retrofit identification in commercial buildings. The virtual tool enabled one California state agency to avoid audit costs of $3.3... Read more

Key findings from the 2020 China Energy Outlook report — which outlines a path for continuous improvement of energy efficiency and emissions through 2050 in China — were recently highlighted by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). ACEEE Executive Director Steven Nadel summarized the analysis of China’s current energy policies and trends. While China has taken steps... Read more

The Building Efficiency Targeting Tool for Energy Retrofits (BETTER), a technology that identifies cost-saving energy reductions in building portfolios, continues to win accolades and support from researchers and investors alike. Already the winner of multiple awards, including an R&D 100, recognizing it as one of 2020’s most innovative and disruptive technologies, BETTER recently became a... Read more

India has set ambitious targets for renewable power, with plans to quintuple its current wind and solar energy capacity by 2030. The country’s transition away from fossil fuels will have a significant impact on global climate efforts, since it is the world’s third-largest greenhouse gas emitter – although its per capita emissions are below the global average. A new study recently published... Read more

When it comes to electric vehicles, particularly for heavy-duty trucks, the limitations of battery technology are often seen as the main barrier to widespread adoption. However, a new analysis concludes that it’s the lack of appropriate policies around adoption incentives, charging infrastructure, and electricity pricing that prevents widespread electrification of commercial trucking fleets.... Read more

Two researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have been recognized by the Kigali Cooling Efficiency Program (K-CEP). The awards for Nihar Shah and Won Young Park honor their work on improving the energy efficiency of cooling systems and evaluating the benefits of those improvements.Shah, Presidential Director of Berkeley Lab’s Global Cooling Efficiency Program, received... Read more

Despite the precarious future emissions outlook, China’s current climate targets are within reach, with multiple studies mapping out scenarios to achieve high penetrations of renewables in the coming decades.But as a new paper from Stony Brook University and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory researchers points out, even these optimistic analyses fail to capture just how dramatically... Read more

Release of "beta" Building Efficiency Targeting Tool for Energy Retrofits (BETTER) Johnson Controls (NYSE: JCI) and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) announced the release of the beta Building Efficiency Targeting Tool for Energy Retrofits (BETTER) (better.lbl.gov/) to the public today. The easy-to-use, open-source BETTER tool allows building owners and managers to rapidly... Read more

Successfully implementing strategic policies in combination with technological innovation is the catalyst needed to decarbonize global industry by 2070, according to a new publication that includes a “blueprint for action”, written by a consortium of researchers including the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab).The manufacturing and industrial sectors... Read more

The Economist Intelligence Unit published an in-depth report on the future of cooling demand, sponsored by the Kigali Cooling Efficiency Program. Founding Director of the Global Cooling Efficiency Program Nihar Shah participated as an interviewee for the development of this report. Link to report: eiu.com/graphics/marketing/pdf/TheCoolingImperative2019.pdf... Read more

Six researchers in the Energy Technologies Area have been recognized in the annual Director's Awards, which applauds outstanding scientific contributions at the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab).Tom McKone received the Berkeley Lab Prize, a lifetime achievement award; Nihar Shah, a research scientist/engineer, received a societal impact award; and the... Read more

Johnson Controls’ new Asia-Pacific headquarters in Shanghai, a CERC-BEE Showcase Building, is the first triple-certified green building in China, achieving LEED Platinum, IFC EDGE and China Three Star Certification.To ensure building operations remain sustainable over time, Johnson Controls turned to Building Information Modeling energy analysis using Autodesk software to quickly create an... Read more

Oak Ridge National Laboratory is collaborating with Pre-cast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI) and Gate Precast on evaluating 3D-printed molds, which have faster lead times, increased durability, and better quality, for the Domino-Site A building in New York City under the U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center Building Energy Efficiency (CERC-BEE) Integrated Building Design and Construction... Read more