Our Research
The challenges that the RASEI community addresses are multifaceted and consist of many interconnected layers
The climate crisis is a large-scale systematic problem. The transition away from a fossil fuel economy to a clean and renewable energy society is crucial in reducing the factors driving the crisis. The challenges associated with the development of a clean energy economy consist of many interconnected layers. Changing one piece of the ecosystem can have significant implications across the entire population. To effectively address these challenges in a just fashion requires an approach that considers many of the different aspects of these interconnected layers. As a Research Institute RASEI acts as the connective tissue between different fields and works to bring together different disciplines and perspectives.
The renewable energy research and development ecosystem is increasingly defined by larger multidisciplinary team efforts. The RASEI community acts as a hub and an integrator, to bring together expertise from across institutions, disciplines, and programs and build shared understanding and mission around target research areas. To be inclusive of the wide range of expertise within the RASEI community we have defined societal Research Impact areas and specific Research Foci that interweave to form a matrix structure, one that enables our community members to be agile and work across the many aspects and perspectives that make up the transititon to a clean energy future.
By providing a forum for our members to work across these disciplines and approaches we foster collaboration and exchange of ideas. By engaging multiple disciplines, and having the opportunity to listen to a broad cross-section of ideas and perspectives, RASEI's researchers are well placed to integrate a range of ideas and concepts into their work, a critical aspect to success as we drive toward a just and inclusive transition to a clean energy economy.
Research Impact Areas
Research throughout RASEI connects to topics and challenges all the way through the energy spectrum, from how we generate electricity, how we store it, either in batteries or fuels, how we transport it, both long-distance and around a building or community, through how we use it in a more efficient and conscientious manner, to the impacts on communities and policies. We have categorized these investigations and outcomes into five Research Impact Areas, primarily to aid navigation of our work. In actuality the majority of our interdisciplinary work cuts across multiple areas.
Research Foci
Researchers in RASEI bring a diverse collection of tools, approaches, and skillsets to bear on the challenges in achieving a clean energy transition. We are comprised of social scientists, business experts, physical scientists, and engineers. We have teams who are experimentalists and teams who use advanced computational models and algorithms to explores the fundamental physics, or simulate global wind patterns. RASEI’s Research Foci captures this expansive toolbox, including foci such as solar power, nanoscience and advanced materials, better buildings, grid innovation, or energy justice.
How we work together
The Research Impact Areas are the points along the energy continuum that we wish to investigate, and the Research Foci are the tools, or approaches that we employ to explore the questions. As a forum, RASEI provides a community where broad engagement is possible. Research Foci can work together, bringing different tools and perspectives to bear on a problem. Through communication across the Institute, outcomes from research can influence discussions and ideas in other Research Impact Areas. While a number of investigations have direct results and can provide renewable and sustainable outcomes, by building a community centered around feedback and refinement, findings can be fed back into the thinking of our members, informing future investigations.
