Technology Readiness Level

       

Further reading

• Wikipedia: 'Technology readiness level' (172)

A criterion for expressing the development phase of a new technology

Ever since climate change emerged as a major issue, news reports on innovative sustainable energy technologies have reached a flood level. What those reports mostly do not mention is the particular stage of development of those innovations at the moment of writing. It is generally a long reach between innovation and market introduction, and this path is marked by several development phases, each of which presents particular barriers.

To assess the maturity of evolving technologies, NASA developed a new standard: the Technology Readiness Level or TRL. This standard divides the evolution between the first basic technology research and market introduction into nine levels.

Using the TRL standard shows that several sustainable energy technologies that are creating buzz (or perhaps fuzz) in the specialised media are still some way from TRL Phase Nine. Pick a technology and examples abound: ocean energy systems, battery technology, Concentrated Solar Power (CSP)...

The TRL scale focuses on the technological maturity of the innovation in question. To guess a technology’s general potential, such a technical assessment should be complemented with market considerations. A product can be in TRL Phase Nine, but what are its chances for a market breakthrough? Having a product ready for the market does not mean the market is ready for the product. Market acceptance, adapted regulation, suitable distribution channels, skilled installers, and skilled maintenance services are just a few examples of conditions that might have to be fulfilled before a market breakthrough can possibly occur.