Max Wei

Max Wei

Max Wei is a Staff Scientist in the Sustainable Energy & Environmental Systems Department in the Energy Analysis and Environmental Impacts Division at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. His expertise is in energy system modeling for deep decarbonization, residential building modeling, electrification of building heating, and techno-economic analysis of emerging technologies including fuel cells systems and cooling systems with low global-warming (low GWP) refrigerants. His recent work has focused on how to achieve greater climate equity (i.e., access to clean technologies) and heat resilience in underserved communities in California. Dr. Wei has over twenty years of experience in leading research and development projects in both industry and at LBNL. He has led California Energy Commission projects in statewide decarbonization scenarios for 2050, zero-net energy homes cost modeling, testing and cost-benefit analysis of small air-conditioners and heat pumps with low GWP (A3) refrigerants, and several studies for the DOE Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Technologies Office in manufacturing and total-cost-of ownership modeling for stationary fuel cell systems. He has also contributed to global greenhouse gas-savings potential studies in the cooling sector that model the addition of aggressive energy efficiency policies alongside the requirements of the Kigali Amendment's refrigerant transition. Most recently he led two research projects that combined community science and technical modeling in the residential sector: 1) a project to advance climate equity in underserved communities in Fresno for the CEC, and 2) a project to develop a heat resilience toolkit (Cal-THRIVES) in Fresno for the California Strategic Growth Council, and he has presented his work on heat resilience policies and on the benefits of passive and active cooling measures in buildings to several California state government forums.

Contact Information

Phone: 510-486-5220

Awards

Spot: EERE DECARB Team -  April 17th 2024

For creative, innovative, and impactful contributions to the EERE DECARB initiative and improving our understanding of economy-wide decarbonization strategies.

2022 R&D 100 Award: City Buildings, Energy, and Sustainability (CityBES) Web Tool for Climate Change Strategies -  August 22nd 2022

Buildings generate 39% of global CO2 emissions, but evaluating and prioritizing cost-effective technical solutions for individual buildings at city scale poses a significant challenge for city stakeholders. CityBES is a free, powerful modeling and analysis tool that enables quick and quantitative assessments of actionable recommendations for decarbonizing buildings and improving their thermal resilience against extreme weather at the urban scale. CityBES builds upon open city datasets, international data standards, the powerful EnergyPlus simulation engine, a library of mitigation and adaptation measures, and 3D-GIS visualization to inform decision making on city buildings, energy, and sustainability.

eta.lbl.gov/news/rd-100-awards-honor-lab-innovations

Spot: Gerald Robinson, Max Wei, Doug Black, Erin Harbin -  April 26th 2021

For the team's extraordinary efforts in the successful development and submission of the CEC EPIC Mobile Renewable Backup Generation (MORBUGS) proposal.

Gerald Robinson profile page

Max Wei profile page

Doug Black profile page

Erin Harbin profile page

Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Award: Max Wei -  June 14th 2018

Max Wei, program manager for the Energy Analysis and Environmental Impacts Division at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, recently received a Hydrogen and Fuel Cell award as part of his work with the H2@Scale Team.

The award recognizes multiple visionary researchers from several national labs for their leadership in the development of the groundbreaking H2@Scale initiative. H2@Scale aims to advance affordable widescale hydrogen production, transport, storage, and utilization to unlock revenue potential and value across sectors.

Hydrogen can enable grid services, gigawatt-hour energy storage, and energy generation through multiple technologies that can be geographically widespread. The H2@Scale team has worked tirelessly to develop world-class grid simulation and electrolyzer testing capabilities, conduct outreach to engage key stakeholders from industry in developing the H2@Scale vision and supporting research and development (R&D) efforts, and complete techno-economic analysis to define the value proposition of H2@Scale.

Each year, the Department of Energy presents these Merit Review Awards at the DOE Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Meeting, known as the AMR.

All members of the H2@Scale team included:

Mark Ruth, Paige Jadun, Josh Eichman, Bryan Pivovar, Wesley Cole, James McCall, Elizabeth Connelly, and Nick Gilroy, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Amgad Elgowainy, Argonne National Laboratory
Max Wei, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Richard Boardman and Rob Hovsapian, Idaho National Laboratory
Jeongwoo Han, ExxonMobil (formerly with Argonne National Laboratory)

Chris Ainscough, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Andrew Martinez, California Air Resources Board
Jean Baronas, California Energy Commission
Joel Rinebold, Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology

Spot: Max Wei -  April 26th 2016

Outstanding contributions to the preparation and completion of the Electricity End Uses, Energy Efficiency, and Distributed Energy Resources Baseline Report.

Publications

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