Welcome to 2020! I hope your year is off to a great start.
In November 2019 the Regional Emerging Technology Advisory Committee (RETAC) celebrated ten years of coordinated emerging technology activities and close collaboration in the Northwest. Many original RETAC members joined us at our November meeting to share stories about the goals behind the formation of RETAC and visions for how RETAC members can continue to bring greater value to the Northwest through our collective efforts. The consensus at the meeting is that there continues to be great value in maintaining a healthy pipeline of new products and perhaps a bigger need and opportunity now more than ever.
RETAC members selected Residential HVAC and water heating as priority areas for 2020. At our February meeting, we will explore research needs and product opportunities for consideration this year.
As NEEA starts its new business cycle (2020-2024), we are focusing on product groups, which are based on large end uses, instead of sectors (commercial, residential, industrial). In Emerging Technology, we expect some efficiencies with this reorganization since many of the technologies (i.e. heat pumps) have application across multiple sectors. To support this new focus, we have reorganized our newsletter by product groups as well. The product summary table on page 2 lists each of the products we are testing, categorized by product group, with the impacted sector and multiple readiness indicators.
Please don’t hesitate to connect with me if you have questions about our emerging technology portfolio or if you have ideas for products we should consider.
Thank you,
~ Mark Rehley, Sr. Manager ~
