2019 Renewable Thermal Technologies Seed Innovation Grant Recipients

The Renewable Thermal Alliance (RTA) is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2019 RTA Seed Innovation Grant. By providing $15,000 to each of the four winners, the grant will support novel approaches to supporting low-carbon heating and cooling markets and technologies. The winners of this year’s grant, each in their own way, promise to help expand the market for RTTs, which remains hobbled by unfavorable economics, low public awareness, lack of affordable financing, and an immature industry.

Join us at this webinar as recipients discuss their initiatives and how this funding will help support their work. Recipients of the RTA Seed Innovation Grant include:

Renewable Heating and Cooling Cost-Carbon Calculator
Clean Energy States Alliance

The Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA) and a regional team of state energy offices, utilities, and other partners are working on an energy and carbon savings calculator for clean heating and cooling technologies. This tool, still under development, presents a common, regional platform for homeowners to compare clean technologies against traditional heating fuels (including electric heaters) in the harsh-winter-hot-summer reaches of Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York. As they develop the tool, experts look forward to sharing its framework and possible outputs for a variety of scenarios in participating states.

Electri-Casa: Digital Roadmap to an Electric House
Greenbanc LLC

This certified B corporation is building a mobile app for homeowners that simplifies research by using uploaded photos to provide a home energy efficiency rating, the age of existing equipment, and electrification options. Users feed these data into the algorithm to get actionable quotes from qualified installers of renewable thermal technologies. People who download the app can stay in touch with experts regarding optimal replacement dates, changes in rebates and special marketing offers from contractors.

High-efficiency and Low-cost Heat Pump System Design
North Dakota State University

Ground Source Heat Pumps (GSHPs) draw their heat from the earth rather than from burning fossil fuel. This positions them as potential replacements for fossil-fueled applications, especially space heating. The University’s Department of Construction Management and Engineering proposes to develop a high-efficiency multi-source heat pump system at low cost, through inexpensive air source heat exchangers (such as a dry fluid cooler) as one source for the heat pump system. It will also look at using shorter underground loops.

Texas Ambassador Program For Renewable Thermal Technology In Affordable Housing
Texas Energy Poverty Research Institute (TEPRI)

The Texas Energy Poverty Research Institute will speed adoption of renewable thermal technologies (RTTs) in affordable housing. The team will set up a multi-disciplinary ambassador program to engage affordable housing developers, local leadership, climate and public health stakeholders on pilots and promotions to demonstrate the value of renewable thermal technologies in affordable residential buildings. As it scales from a pilot in Houston, this network can spread energy equity and ensure the financial and environmental benefits of RTTs to flow to low-income communities.