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

[email protected]
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.

DOE Assistant Secretary Recognizes Lab Researchers for Their Pioneering Work in Silicon Anode Binders for Lithium-Ion Batteries

October 6, 2016

Dr. Gao Liu and Dr. Vincent Battaglia's recent achievements were acknowledged by DOE Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy David Danielson during his recent visit to LBNL. Danielson praised the researchers for their pioneering contributions to conducting polymer binders for silicon anodes for high energy density lithium-ion batteries. Lithium ion batteries are used in most of today's consumer electronics, and hybrid, plug-in hybrid and all-electric vehicles (EVs). The use of silicon anodes shows the promise to boost the energy capacity of lithium-ion batteries by up to 30%. However, classical binders used today cannot absorb the huge swings in material expansion and contraction upon cycling. The new binders developed at LBNL mitigate this crucial problem. They are a based on a new family of conducting polymers that can be tailored for specific silicon anodes. The Berkeley Lab team is working with Envia Inc., 3M, and General Motors to commercialize this technology.