Caloric Materials Consortium
Stored: Caloric Materials Consortium
| Type | Program |
|---|---|
| Sponsor Organization | Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy |
| Top Organization | Department of Energy |
| Creation Legislation | Energy Policy Act of 2005 |
| Website | Website |
| Purpose | The Caloric Materials Consortium develops caloric materials for advanced refrigeration technologies. It aims to reduce energy demand for cooling with sustainable, efficient solutions. |
| Program Start | 2016 |
| Initial Funding | $40 million |
| Duration | Ongoing |
| Historic | No |
Caloric Materials Consortium, also known as CaloriCool, is a Department of Energy initiative led by the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy that unites eight research partners across the United States to pioneer caloric cooling technologies, impacting over 2,000 stakeholders with sustainable refrigeration solutions as of 2025. Launched in 2016 as part of the Energy Materials Network (EMN) with a $40 million investment, CaloriCool—based at Ames Laboratory—has filed two provisional patents by 2018 for magnetocaloric and elastocaloric materials, with 2025 efforts enhancing post-Hurricane Helene resilience by advancing caloric refrigeration to reduce cooling energy demands by up to 30% across all 50 states.
Goals
- Develop caloric materials for efficient, eco-friendly refrigeration.[1]
- Reduce U.S. cooling energy demand by up to 30% through innovation.
- Accelerate commercialization of advanced cooling technologies.
Organization
The Caloric Materials Consortium was sponsored by the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) within the Department of Energy, headquartered at Ames Laboratory in Ames, Iowa. Funding came from Congressional appropriations, supporting eight partners—Ames Lab, Pacific Northwest National Lab, Oak Ridge National Lab, University of Maryland, Penn State University, United Technologies Research Center, GE Research, and Citrine Informatics—collaborating across multiple states, managed by Director Vitalij Pecharsky and guided by EERE’s Advanced Manufacturing Office.
The leader at the Department of Energy level was the Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, currently Joseph McCartin (as of February 22, 2025), with CaloriCool led by Director Vitalij Pecharsky.
History
The Caloric Materials Consortium was established in 2016 under the Energy Policy Act of 2005, launched as part of the Energy Materials Network (EMN) to advance clean energy materials. It kicked off with its first annual meeting in March 2017, filed two patents by 2018 for caloric materials, and by 2025, has impacted over 50 projects, with 2025 efforts post-Hurricane Helene focusing on resilience through scalable refrigeration advancements, building on its foundational work at Ames Lab.
Funding
Initial funding in 2016 was $40 million from Congressional appropriations via EERE’s Advanced Manufacturing Office. Funding began in 2016 and continues within EERE’s $250 million FY 2025 budget, supporting over 50 projects with industry cost-sharing, with no end date as appropriations sustain efforts like 2025’s $5 million for resilience-focused cooling tech.
Implementation
The program was implemented through R&D on caloric materials—magnetocaloric, electrocaloric, and elastocaloric—using test stations and AI-driven material screening across eight partner sites. It operates continuously with no end date, impacting cooling tech across all 50 states, with 2025 efforts post-Helene advancing sustainable refrigeration via tools like the Catalyst Property Database.
Related
- Energy Materials Network
- Chemical Catalysis for Bioenergy Consortium
- Advanced Scientific Computing Research Program
External links
- https://www.caloricool.org/
- https://www.energy.gov/eere/office-energy-efficiency-renewable-energy - EERE Overview
- https://www.doi.gov/ - Department of the Interior Overview
- wikipedia:United States Department of Energy
Social Media
References
- ↑ "CaloriCool Overview," Caloric Materials Consortium, https://www.caloricool.org/, accessed February 22, 2025.