The U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center Building Energy Efficiency (CERC-BEE) Program Hosts Semi-Annual Industry Advisory Board (IAB) Meeting in Washington, DC
On July 11th, the U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center Building Energy Efficiency (CERC-BEE) program hosted its Semi-Annual Industry Advisory Board (IAB) Meeting at the U.S. Green Building Council office in Washington, DC. Approximately 50 stakeholders participated in this event, including representatives from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), national laboratories, private industry, and non-profit organizations (NGO).
The event offered perspectives from Dr. Robert Marlay, the U.S. CERC Director, and David Nemtzow, the DOE Building Technologies Office (BTO) Director, on the role of U.S. industry in accelerating research, development, and deployment (RD&D) of building energy efficiency technologies under CERC-BEE. Dr. Nan Zhou, U.S. CERC-BEE Director, provided an overview of the program’s RD&D achievements and plans going forward.
Following opening remarks, scientists from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) provided updates on RD&D across five integrated projects: (1) design, construction, and industrialized building; (2) sensors, controls and commissioning; (3) direct current (DC) power and smart grid; (4) indoor environmental quality; and (5) market and policy research.
Industry partners, including BASF, Saint-Gobain, Dow Chemical, Disney, LumenCache, Citibank, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Johnson Controls Inc. (JCI), Paulson Institute, Nextek Power Systems, Energy Systems Group, United Technologies Corporation (UTC), U.S. Green Buildings Council (USGBC), World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), World Resources Institute (WRI), and Delos also briefed attendees on their current and future collaboration with CERC-BEE on building energy efficiency technology and policy RD&D.
The meeting closed with an update on intellectual property (IP) protection under CERC-BEE and discussion led by Clay Nesler, JCI Vice President of Global Energy and Sustainability and Chair of the IAB, on approaches for recruiting additional U.S. industry partners; increasing industry cost share; and demonstrating CERC-BEE technologies in U.S. building demonstration/showcase projects.
CERC-BEE is a ten-year initiative of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the China Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), implemented by LBNL and China MOHURD to support leading scientists from the U.S. and China in collaborative RD&D of advanced building technologies.