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Energy infrastructure and markets have developed over nearly two centuries around fossil fuel systems. Regulations, pricing structures, grid rules, building codes, and investment frameworks all reflect this history. While many of the technologies needed for a clean energy transition have been demonstrated to be effective and economically competitive, widespread deployment requires policy frameworks that enable adoption, remove barriers, and align economic incentives with modern energy solutions.

Energy policy research examines how regulations, incentives, and market structures can accelerate the transition to clean, affordable, and reliable energy systems while creating economic opportunity and maintaining energy security. Effective policy can unlock the benefits of technical innovations that RASEI researchers are developing across buildings, transportation, industry, and the grid.

RASEI researchers work on energy policy across multiple dimensions, often in close collaboration with colleagues developing the underlying technologies.

Policy analysis and impact assessment examines how existing and proposed policies affect energy technology adoption, costs, and outcomes. This includes analyzing the effectiveness of incentive programs, regulatory approaches, and market structures. For example, understanding how building codes affect the adoption of efficiency technologies, how electricity pricing structures influence decisions about rooftop solar and battery storage, or how industrial regulations impact the competitiveness of cleaner manufacturing processes. This analysis provides evidence on what policy approaches work, where barriers exist, and how regulations can be improved.

Multi-level policy coordination addresses the complexity of energy policy across local, state, federal, and international levels. Energy systems span jurisdictions, requiring coordination between building codes (often local), utility regulation (typically state), environmental standards (often federal), and trade policy (international). RASEI researchers analyze how policies at different levels interact, identify opportunities for effective coordination, and examine how sub-national policies can advance clean energy goals.

The transition to a modern, clean energy economy depends not only on technological innovation but on policy frameworks that enable deployment, ensure affordability, create economic opportunity, and maintain reliability. RASEI's policy research connects directly to technical work across all research areas, from buildings and transportation to industrial processes and grid systems, ensuring that policy analysis is informed by deep technical understanding while technical research is guided by awareness of policy realities and deployment pathways.