The Market Analysis team at the Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC) assesses market dynamics to inform DOE strategy and investments, and accelerate technology commercialization across the DOE and National Lab complex.
Market Analysis services, tools, and information cover a broad swath of subject and practice areas, providing decision makers the necessary market data, context, and insights to commercialize innovative new technologies. By creating a shared language and understanding, based on best-available empirical data, OTC Market Analysis identifies commercialization pathways for new technologies and opportunities to address commercialization risks as early in the technology development process as possible. Market assessments also broaden the aperture for licensing and commercializing National Lab intellectual property – an unparalleled pipeline for building American energy and manufacturing dominance.
Pathways to Commercial Liftoff
The Pathways to Commercial Liftoff effort provides decision makers inside and beyond the department a data-driven, descriptive fact base to assess how and when various technologies could reach full-scale commercial adoption.
OTC’s Market Analysis team steers this collaborative effort, which includes subject matter experts from industry, the National Lab complex, academia and other DOE offices. The 13 Liftoff reports released to date complement the Department’s research and development roadmaps by applying real-world private sector data and perspectives to investment decisions across a broad array of specific technology areas and sectors that are critical to growing American energy abundance and revitalizing domestic manufacturing.
Learn more about the Liftoff reports here.
Adoption Readiness Level
The Adoption Readiness Level (ARL) framework, developed by OTC, provides a rubric for determining and evaluating key risks to market adoption of new technology. With this understanding, technology developers, entrepreneurs and investors can dramatically improve the rate and pace of commercialization success – and make America the leader in commercialization of innovative energy and manufacturing technologies. The ARL framework has been incorporated into decision-making processes across the private sector, including by utility companies, the insurance industry, technology accelerators and incubators, and corporate investors. The ARL framework has also been implemented across DOE and the National Lab complex to help maximize the impact of public sector investment in crucial novel energy and manufacturing tech.
Learn more about ARL here.
Supply Chain Analyses
The MA team supports supply chain analysis across DOE, working closely with MESC and other offices to conduct market research on domestic manufacturing, supply chains, and critical materials. The team combines the latest market intelligence and modeling to monitor supply risks and opportunities, identifying strategic pathways to support and expand U.S. manufacturing.
Data and Subscription Services
OTC Market Analysis supports the integration of private sector perspectives into DOE activities and decision-making by enabling access to best-in-class, third- party market intelligence platforms across the Department. Examples of this type of market intelligence include data on early-stage investments, capital formation in particular technologies or sectors, power capacity additions, and real-time energy prices and volumes. The team also pursues efficient procurement of this data by streamlining market data access across DOE Headquarters.
Lab-based Projects
OTC’s Market Analysis team works across the entire DOE lab complex to support market analysis activities and lab efforts to commercialize new technologies. These projects bring industry and private sector insights to bear on lab activities, where appropriate, and support lab market analysis capacity building.
Market Analysis Community of Practice (MACOP)
The Market Analysis team leads the Market Analysis Community of Practice (MACOP) at the Department, which comprises representatives from DOE headquarters offices and all 17 National Labs. MACOP supports collaboration on market analysis and technology commercialization across the entire DOE complex.
Piloting Innovative Market Analysis Mechanisms
OTC’s Market Analysis team partners with offices across DOE to develop quick-turn analyses based on the expertise of private industry partners.
Learn more about Partnership Intermediary Agreements here.
Accelerating Commercialization via Lab-Based Projects
Energy Storage Grand Challenge
OTC is deeply engaged in maximizing the impact of DOE efforts to scale up energy storage solutions and reach successful commercialization in the open market. The Market Analysis team is a founding member and supporter of one such initiative, the Energy Storage Grand Challenge (ESGC). This multi-partner program focuses on propelling the development, commercialization, and utilization of next-generation energy storage technologies. Through the ESGC, OTC champions technology commercialization across DOE HQ and the lab complex.
Learn more about what ESGC is doing to sustain American global leadership in energy storage here.
STEER
STEER supports affordable, reliable, and secure energy for the American people by developing a deep understanding of the commercialization pathway for new energy technologies. This is done through the integration of lab-based technoeconomic analysis and modeling, market demand trends and forecasts, supply chain modeling, and deep industry engagement.
STEER is a partnership between the SLAC-Stanford Battery Center and the Precourt Institute for Energy, and is funded by DOE’s Office of Technology Commercialization, the Office of Electricity, and the Vehicle Technologies Office.