The California Energy Commission has awarded $2,554,030 million for research projects tackling a range of issues including climate change, electric fuel, and energy storage. Seven projects were approved, including a UCLA venture led by IoE's Stephanie Pincetl, Adjunct Professor and Director of the Urban Center for People and the Environment and Paul Bunje, Executive Director of the Center for Climate Change Solutions.

UCLA is set to receive $550,000 to develop a method to estimate energy and environmental impacts of neighborhood-scale changes on urban transportation systems. The project will also develop a prototype calculator tool that planners can use to identify and quantify the energy impacts of land use and transportation systems decisions. The objective of this research is to inform future planning and policymaking that reduces the energy demand and GHG emissions of transportation systems.

The funds come from the Energy Commission's Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) program. PIER supports public interest research and development that helps improve the quality of life in California by bringing environmentally safe, reliable, and affordable energy services and products to the marketplace. Energy Commissioner Anthony Eggert stated, "The PIER program has a successful history of funding innovative energy projects that benefit all Californians."

 

 

Published: Monday, July 19, 2010

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