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.

Publications

Publications by Research Area

Demand Response

Electricity Markets & Policy

Energy Efficiency

Industrial Energy Analysis

Renewable Energy

Sustainable Energy & Environmental Systems

Publications by Division

Building Technology (BTUS)

Energy Analysis (EAEI)

Energy Storage (ESDR)

2024

Zuberi, Jibran, Arman Shehabi, and Prakash Rao."Cross-sectoral assessment of CO2 capture from U.S. industrial flue gases for fuels and chemicals manufacture."International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control 135 (2024) 104137. DOI

2023

Karki, Unique, and Prakash Rao."Techno-economic analysis of the water, energy, and greenhouse gas emissions impacts from the adoption of water efficiency practices in the U.S. manufacturing sector."Resources, Conservation and Recycling 196 (2023) 107054. DOI

Das, Sujit, Heidi Fuchs, Ritu Philip, and Prakash Rao."A review of water valuation metrics: Supporting sustainable water use in manufacturing."Water Resources and Industry 29 (2023) 100199. DOI

Fitzgerald, Patrick, Peter L Therkelsen, Paul Sheaffer, and Prakash Rao."Deeper and persistent energy savings and carbon dioxide reductions achieved through ISO 50001 in the manufacturing sector."Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments 57 (2023) 103280. DOI

2022

Moudio, Marie Pelagie Elimbi, Richard Bolin, Alberta Carpenter, Samantha Bench Reese, Arman Shehabi, and Prakash Rao."Characterizing manufacturing sector disruptions with targeted mitigation strategiesAbstract."Environmental Research: Infrastructure and Sustainability 2.4 (2022) 042001. DOI

Rao, Prakash, Paul Sheaffer, Yuting Chen, Unique Karki, and Patrick Fitzgerald."U.S. Industrial and Commercial Motor System Market Assessment Report Volume 3: Energy Saving Opportunity." (2022). DOI

2021

Fuchs, Heidi, and Prakash Rao."Survey of Available Information on U.S. Manufacturing Wastewater and Energy Requirements for Reuse." (2021). DOI

Newkirk, Alexander, Prakash Rao, and Paul Sheaffer."U.S. Industrial and Commercial Motor System Market Assessment Report Volume 2: Advanced Motors and Drives Supply Chain Review." (2021). DOI

McCall, James, Prakash Rao, Susana Garcia Gonzalez, Sachin Nimbalkar, Sujit Das, Sarang Supekar, and Joe Cresko."U.S. Manufacturing Water Use Data and Estimates: Current State, Limitations, and Future Needs for Supporting Manufacturing Research and Development."ACS ES&T Water (2021). DOI

Fuchs, Heidi, and Prakash Rao."Characterizing manufacturing wastewater in the United States for the purpose of analyzing energy requirements for reuse."Journal of Industrial Ecology (2021). DOI

Booten, Chuck, Prakash Rao, Vi H Rapp, Roderick Jackson, and Ravi S Prasher."Theoretical Minimum Thermal Load in Buildings."Joule 5.1 (2021) 24 - 46. DOI

Rao, Prakash, Paul Sheaffer, Yuting Chen, Miriam L Goldberg, Benjamin Jones, Jeff Cropp, and Jordan Hester."U.S. Industrial and Commercial Motor System Market Assessment Report Volume 1: Characteristics of the Installed Base." (2021). DOI

2019

Rao, Prakash, Darren Sholes, and Joe Cresko."Evaluation of U.S. Manufacturing Subsectors at Risk of Physical Water Shortages."Environmental Science & Technology (2019). DOI

2018

Rao, Prakash, William R Morrow III, Arian Aghajanzadeh, Paul Sheaffer, Caroline Dollinger, Sabine Brueske, and Joe Cresko."Energy considerations associated with increased adoption of seawater desalination in the United States."Desalination 445 (2018) 213 - 224. DOI

2017

Rao, Prakash, Robert Kostecki, Larry L Dale, and Ashok J Gadgil."Technology and Engineering of the Water-Energy Nexus."Annual Review of Environment and Resources 42.1 (2017) 407 - 437. DOI

Aghajanzadeh, Arian, Aimee T McKane, Paul Sheaffer, Peter L Therkelsen, and Prakash Rao."AUTOMATED REGISTER V1.0.3: User Manual for Using the Automated Register of Implemented Actions." (2017).

Liu, Jingjing, Prakash Rao, Peter L Therkelsen, Paul Sheaffer, Paul Scheihing, and Yannick Tamm."ISO 50001 and SEP Faster and Cheaper - Exploring the Enterprise-Wide Approach." (2017).

2016

Rao, Prakash, Arian Aghajanzadeh, Paul Sheaffer, William R Morrow III, Sabine Brueske, Caroline Dollinger, Kevin Price, Prateeti Sarker, Nicholas Ward, and Joe Cresko."Volume 1: Survey of Available Information in Support of the Energy-Water Bandwidth Study of Desalination Systems." (2016).

Aghajanzadeh, Arian, Peter L Therkelsen, Prakash Rao, and Aimee T McKane."Global Impact Estimation of ISO 50001 Energy Management System for Industrial and Service Sectors." (2016).

Therkelsen, Peter L, Prakash Rao, Arian Aghajanzadeh, and Aimee T McKane."The ISO 50001 Impact Estimator Tool (IET 50001 V1.1.4) - User Guide and Introduction to the ISO 50001 Impacts Methodology." (2016).

Rao, Prakash, Paul Sheaffer, Aimee T McKane, and Paul Scheihing."Assessing Energy Efficiency Opportunities in US Industrial and Commercial Building Motor Systems."Energy Efficiency in Motor Driven Systems, 2015 (2016).

2015

Therkelsen, Peter L, Prakash Rao, Aimee T McKane, Ridah Sabouni, Yannick Tamm, and Paul Scheihing."Development of an Enhanced Payback Function for the Superior Energy Performance Program."2015 American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Industry (2015).

Rao, Prakash, Aimee T McKane, and Andre de Fontaine."Energy Savings from Industrial Water Reductions."2015 ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Industry (2015).