projects

Our projects focus on evaluating the costs and environmental impacts of energy technologies to accelerate their improvement. Through data analysis and modeling, we study expected changes to technology performance over time, due to innovation and evolving operational contexts. By relating performance to design and manufacturing decisions, our research informs technology development in the laboratory and technology policy. We work on a variety of energy conversion and storage technologies for electricity and transportation.

Value of storage technologies

Value of storage technologies

Stationary and mobile energy storage technologies can synchronize energy demand and supply, but need to be evaluated against energy consumption patterns.

Dynamic environmental impacts of technologies

Dynamic environmental impacts of technologies

The impacts of technologies depend on various factors, including the background state of the environment.

Risks and scalability of new technologies

Risks and scalability of new technologies

We are developing ways to assess the risks of existing and new technologies in terms of cost and other performance metrics. This includes asking how such risks may change with the scale of a technology’s adoption.

Energy efficiency through personalized incentives

Energy efficiency through personalized incentives

Coordinated small changes in individual travel behavior (such as route choice, departure time, and travel mode) have the potential to produce significant reductions in regional transportation energy use.

PV design optimization

PV design optimization

Photovoltaics provide a promising energy technology with a vast resource base and a history of rapid improvement. This work centers on photovoltaics’ design and cost evolution.

Climate change mitigation potential of energy technologies

Climate change mitigation potential of energy technologies

Here we translate broad, high-level climate targets into practical performance targets for energy technologies in terms of their cost and carbon intensities.

Determinants of technology improvement

Determinants of technology improvement

Technologies change over time at different rates. Here we study the factors that drive technology evolution, and we ask why some technologies improve more quickly than others.