Valerie Eacret for Zondits, March 16, 2015
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) recently launched a website to crowdsource ideas for new and more efficient technologies for buildings. The intention is for researchers, product developers, and deployment teams to collaborate, although anyone who is interested may participate. The website is organized into the three categories of “Energy Efficiency Buildings R&D,” “Tech to Market Ideas,” and “Commercial Building Products.” Those who don’t submit ideas or collaborate to further them on the website can vote for the best ideas. Although it’s unclear if the best idea will be selected only with votes, with input from ORNL, or any other method, it will be recognized and presented at ORNL’s buildings Industry Day in September 2015. The website will be open until 11:59 p.m. ET on May 31.