The TRL and ARL ratings for the technologies in this tool were assessed by considering all technologies that fit under the broad category, rather than individual technologies or products. Furthermore, when there are multiple technologies in the same category, the rating is assigned based on the technology with the highest ratings. For example, the topic of Advanced Conductors covers all recent conductor innovations. While new designs are constantly being developed, the ratings provided by this tool are reflective of the most mature designs currently finding use in industry.
TRL
Technology Readiness Level is a rating given to a technology to assess its level of technical development based on documented evidence of performance. The ratings range from 1 to 9, with the lowest levels representing technologies that are largely theoretical, or simulation based, while the highest levels describe fully functional technologies in use by end users. The ratings are not subjective and for a technology to be assigned a level there must be evidence that it has been demonstrated under the right conditions.
ARL
The ARL framework is a tool to assess the commercialization challenges facing a technology as it matures from concept to commercialization. The ARL framework complements the widely adopted TRL framework by extending beyond the technical risks that technologies face on their commercialization journeys to capture other commercialization risks. These risks fall into fourcategories: Value Proposition, Market Acceptance, Resource Maturity, and License to Operate.
CARAT
In order to assist with the designation of ARLs the Office of Technology Transfer created the Commercial Adoption Readiness Assessment Tool (CARAT). The CARAT provides a structured framework for the assignment of ARLs by asking the user to describe the risks under a particular metric as either low, medium, or high, with definitions provided for what constitutes these risks in each category. The tool then assigns the ARL based on the number of medium and high risks assigned. A link to this tool can be found here: Commercial Adoption Readiness Assessment Tool (CARAT)_030323.pdf
Together, TRL and ARL present a comprehensive picture of the challenges facing a particular technology and the barriers that may be preventing it from being deployed by end-users. Some technologies may be technically sound with high TRLs, but regulatory or economic challenges may inhibit their adoption, yielding low ARLs. Other technologies may be broadly welcomed by markets and society at large giving them high ARLs, but suffer significant technical barriers that limit their deployment, thus yielding low TRLs. By considering both grading criteria simultaneously a complete picture is formed of the state of emerging technologies.