The funds will go to something called the Berkeley Tsinghua Joint Research Center on Energy and Climate Change, which is based at the University of California-Berkeley. If you’re wondering how the Energy Department got into the mix, that’s because UC-Berkeley is affiliated with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, which will receive the funds through the Berkeley Lab Foundation.
If you’re wondering what a US national laboratory is doing with a China Energy Group, leave your guesses in the comment thread. In the meantime, here’s the explainer from Berkeley Lab’s website:
Working collaboratively with groups in China and elsewhere to understand the dynamics of energy use, improve energy efficiency, and reduce emissions in China; strengthen Chinese capabilities in energy efficiency; and enhance relationships on energy efficiency among Chinese, U.S., and international institutions.
All of this sounds like a great opportunity for US companies in the energy efficiency field to grow their business overseas, leveraging expertise that has developed under Obama Administration initiatives like the Better Buildings program.
According to an Energy Department report the US energy efficiency sector has been adding new jobs by the barrel in recent years. Another 198,000 more are projected for 2017 among companies surveyed by the agency, so it looks like the sector is primed to lead on global growth.