The U.S. Department of Energy today announced a new interactive online tool to help researchers, educators, and students explore future U.S. energy-use scenarios. The interactive Buildings, Industry, Transportation, and Electricity Scenarios (BITES) tool allows users to adjust inputs, such as electricity generation and transportation fuel use, to compare outcomes and impacts on carbon dioxide emissions and the U.S. energy mix.
The energy-use scenarios and analytical framework behind BITES were originally developed for the Energy Department's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy to help identify and implement new research and technical opportunities that will have the greatest impact on achieving our national energy goals. The BITES tool demonstrates that continued technology and policy deployment is needed in every energy sector to meet U.S. climate and energy security goals.
BITES can also be a useful tool for students and educators who focus on how research, policy, or other forms of national action can impact U.S. energy use. Future plans for BITES include hosting online discussion forums on the scenarios created in the tool and delivering BITES as a learning module on the National Training and Education Resource (NTER). These efforts are part of the Energy Department's broader energy education and energy literacy initiative to help U.S. families and businesses make informed energy decisions.