Energy Efficiency Research Design Competition

 

2016 E2e Grant

proposals are currently under review

The E2e Project is hosting an energy efficiency research design competition and seeks innovative proposals from junior faculty, post-doctoral researchers, and graduate Ph.D. students. E2e aims to encourage talented young researchers to work on energy efficiency issues. This solicitation is not open to tenured faculty. With generous funding from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the winner of the competition will receive $25,000 in seed funding to proceed with the proposed research. There is the potential for multiple awards if the pool of proposals is outstanding.
 
To further E2e’s goal of expanding its network of researchers, there will be a preference for proposals from researchers not affiliated with E2e’s founding universities: University of California, Berkeley, University of Chicago, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
 
Background:
Rigorous empirical evidence is essential for high-quality academic research and effective public policy. For academics, it is important to test the theoretical literature in the field. For practitioners, empirical evidence can help to evaluate the impact and cost-effectiveness of new and old solutions. E2e will fund randomized impact and quasi-experimental evaluations on energy efficiency programs that can provide valuable insights for learning which policies work best, and which are most cost effective in achieving their goals.
 
E2e is interested in research proposals that contribute to new knowledge and insights on energy efficiency and its real-world impacts. Sample areas of interest are:
 

  • Size of the energy efficiency gap among profit-maximizing actors

  • Welfare consequences of energy efficiency investments

  • Effective applications of behavioral insights in the energy domain

  • Market opportunities to catalyze energy efficiency investment

  • Relationship between energy efficiency programs or regulations and innovation