US Taps Federal Buildings to Test Next-Generation Climate Tech

The Biden administration on Thursday will unveil 17 cutting-edge technologies it’s going to test in federal buildings, part of a $9.6 million effort to boost climate tech products at the edge of commercialization.

“The government has invested in R&D for a long time, but at GSA because we have these facilities we can actually test them out in the real world,” said Robin Carnahan, administrator of the General Services Administration.

The announcement also pairs up with the Biden administration’s broad effort to cut carbon emissions across the federal government’s vast buildings portfolio.

The GSA is now developing criteria to pick which sites will be most appropriate to test each technology’s performance, according to an agency spokeswoman. All test beds should be identified by end of the year, and the results of the evaluations are expected in 2026.

Among the selected technologies are Armstrong World Industries’ ceiling tiles with “phase change” material that absorb heat when it’s warm and release it when the temperature drops; Brightcore Energy’s method of using specialized rigs that can drill for geothermal in tight spaces like basements and parking garages; and Gridscape’s modular plug-and-play microgrid that consolidates all the components into one box.

Other technologies include Nostromo Energy’s ice energy storage system that discharges cooling in buildings during peak hours; a system by SafeTraces that uses DNA-tagged particles to map indoor air quality; a towable battery system by Moxion Power that eliminates the need for diesel generators; and drones from Lamarr.AI that can generate building envelope audits.

Eventually the GSA will help match successful companies with energy service companies (ESCOs). The agency will hold a “matchmaking session"—the first of its kind—to help make those connections, Carnahan said.

“We think we can introduce some of these new technologies to the ESCOs that that really is going to drive scale,” she said.

Carnahan in an interview rejected the notion that the GSA’s program picks winners and losers.

“This isn’t about the government driving markets,” she said. “This is about market demand.”

For the same reason, she dismissed the notion that a potential change in presidential administrations will put a serious dent in a climate tech sector that is already reducing costs.

“Ultimately, for the government it makes sense,” Carnahan said. “For private buyers it make sense. And I don’t think that’s going to change.”