Request for Ideas

Plug Loads & Appliances – Dryers

CalNEXT is looking for Idea Submissions and Project Submissions for Residential Heat Pump Clothes Dryers or Commercial Clothes Dryers (CCDs). This aligns with the Decarbonizing Household Appliances technology research area within the Plug Loads & Appliances Technology Priority Map.

Opportunity

In the residential clothes dryer market, heat pump dryers continue to emerge as a high efficiency alternative to traditional electric dryers but need additional market validation. Meanwhile, CCDs lag their residential counterparts as previous analysis by the CA utilities found 20 to 50% savings opportunities using readily available technologies,¹ but there is not currently a standard or test procedure. CCDs are also disproportionately used by renters and other low-income households which total about 20% of all households without access to in-unit laundry.²

Considerations

Some types of valuable research include studying barriers to deploying higher efficiency alternatives, demonstrations of emerging technologies and non-technology solutions to these barriers for, foundational test procedures and ratings, testing and/or demonstrating efficiencies and GHG reductions associated with this technology, and more. CalNEXT is interested in projects that can connect their research to current and future Energy Efficiency Programs, Decarbonization Programs, Market Transformation Programs, low-income programs like Energy Savings Assistance (ESA), Codes and Standards updates, or development and updates to measure packages. Please reference the program eligibility criteria and review criteria for additional guidance.

Process Loads – Smart Manufacturing & Controls

CalNEXT is looking for Idea Submissions and Project Submissions for Smart Manufacturing & Controls. This aligns with Smart Manufacturing & Controls technology research area within the Process Loads Technology Priority Map.

Opportunity

Manufacturing consumes 24 quads of primary energy annually in the United States (U.S.), accounting for 79% of total industrial energy use.³ According to the research by American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), Smart Manufacturing (SM) has the potential to generate energy savings of 15-30% per unit with estimated energy savings nationally of $7-25 billion per year by enabling demand flexibility and decarbonization through data-driven control and optimization at the system and unit process levels.⁴

Considerations

Some types of valuable research include studying the market to better characterize the market for these technologies and their potential market barriers to adopting these technologies, demonstrations of both new systems and system retrofits, testing and/or demonstrating efficiencies and GHG reductions associated of this technology, and more. The Program is interested in projects that can connect their research to Energy Efficiency Programs, Decarbonization Programs, Market Transformation Programs, Codes and Standards updates, or work paper development. Please reference the program eligibility criteria and review criteria for additional guidance.

How to Participate

If you are interested in submitting you can compile your submission information utilizing the Idea Submission Form or Project Submission Form questions, and then input your responses in the appropriate webform located here.

Dates & Deadlines