Research Themes +
Energy Technologies Area (ETA) researchers are continually building on the strong scientific foundation we have developed over the past 50 years. We address the world’s most pressing climate challenges by bringing to market energy-efficient innovations across the buildings, transportation, and industrial sectors. ETA is at the forefront of developing better batteries for electric vehicles; improving the country's aging electrical grid and innovating distributed energy and storage solutions; developing grid-interactive, efficient buildings; and providing the most comprehensive market and data analysis worldwide for renewable technologies like wind and solar.
Strategic Initiatives +
The Energy Technologies Area (ETA) Strategic Plan is the guiding force for our research and development for the next ten years. It clearly charts a path toward clean-energy solutions and focuses on five detailed Strategic Initiatives. The Plan provides an in-depth look at how ETA is accelerating research to provide affordable, clean energy to all while accomplishing deep, economy-wide decarbonization, looking to avoid a rise in global average temperature while simultaneously developing solutions to increase humanity's resilience to extreme weather volatility.
Publications
News +
For media inquiries,
please contact ETA
Interim Communications Manager
Kiran Julin

kjulin@lbl.gov
About Us +
The Energy Technologies Area (ETA) is unique in translating fundamental scientific discoveries into scalable technology adoption. Our approach combines an understanding of the marketplace and the role of state and federal regulation and policies. ETA's research drives real-world, practical results that affect and improve the everyday lives of Americans and those across the globe. Saving energy and battling the Climate Crisis are key to the foundation of our research, which is driven by technoeconomic analysis and in-lab experimentation and discovery.

Low-Income Renewable Energy Programs: A Survey of State Clean Energy Funds

Publication Type

Case Study

Date Published

06/2004

Authors

Fitzgerald, Garrett, Mark Bolinger, Ryan H Wiser

Abstract

This survey reviews efforts by CESA member clean energy funds to promote the use of renewable energy technologies in low-income residential buildings or communities. Only programs specifically targeting low-income applications are covered. Funds providing support to low-income households for other purposes (e.g., weatherization programs) fall outside the scope of this survey, as do programs offered by non-CESA member funds. To date, only the California Energy Commission has promoted the use of renewable energy technologies on low-income homes through an ongoing program of specifically targeted incentives. However, several other funds have been active as well. The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative recently launched a Renewables & Low Income Collaborative with low income community stakeholders to formally explore and pursue opportunities in this area. The Connecticut Clean Energy Fund also plans to target a future component of a PV buy-down program directly at low-income households. Others, including the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation, the New Jersey Clean Energy Program, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, the Energy Trust of Oregon, two Pennsylvania funds (the Sustainable Development Fund and the Sustainable Energy Fund of Central Eastern Pennsylvania), and Wisconsin Focus on Energy have also provided support for the use of renewable energy in specific low income projects, despite not having distinct programs targeted to this purpose. The efforts of these funds are summarized below.

Journal

Case Studies of State Support for Renewable Energy

Year of Publication

2004