The team leads research on technology adoption and diffusion from multiple vantage points – developers, customers, market, utility – to capture the complexity of energy transitions. In particular, the MTRP’s research focuses on occupant/user experience, stakeholder barriers and opportunities, and market outlook, considering the economic, technical and policy landscape.

The MTRP team uses a multi-methods research approach, matching the appropriate analytical tools for each research question. We collect data through surveys, interviews, focus groups, and literature reviews. Drawing on training in the fields of policy analysis, statistics, sociology, economics and anthropology, the team conducts both qualitative and quantitative data analysis. Qualitative and quantitative research methods are often paired to cover the depth and breadth of a topic, first asking exploratory questions to understand the landscape, and then illustrating the patterns that emerge from casting a wider net.

The MTRP collaborates with many researchers both on-campus (e.g., Western Cooling Efficiency Center, Consumer Energy Interfaces, Human Ecology, Engineering, Public Health, Energy Storage Lab, Agriculture, Community Regional Development Department) and off-campus (e.g., TRC, Energy Solutions, EPRI, LBNL, CBE, Ghoulem Research).