Vision and Framework for Strategy and Planning
Published August 2005

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Approach 5: Support Cutting-Edge Technology Demonstrations

Demonstrations of cutting-edge climate change technologies are an important aspect of the goal of advancing climate change technologies. They can help advance a technology’s progress from the research phase, where a concept may have been proven in principle or shown to work in the laboratory, but where performance in an operating environment, and at a larger scale, is still unknown or uncertain. Such performance characteristics are important to the viability of a technology, where a substantial investment, motivated by clear and expected financial returns, is required.

Technology demonstrations afford unique opportunities to reduce investment uncertainty by unveiling the parameters affecting a technology’s cost and operational performance, and the areas needing further improvement or cost reduction. Technology demonstrations also evidence Federal leadership in the technology development process, which can potentially influence decisions of private-sector investors and other non-government parties.