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| Photo: Daniel A. Anderson |
| Solar panels on the Natural Sciences II rooftop help UC Irvine increase the amount of renewable power it produces on site. |
The Advanced Power & Energy Program at the Henry Samueli School of Engineering has been awarded $2 million over three years to create a roadmap for a cost-effective and reliable energy infrastructure that maximizes use of renewable resources such as solar photovoltaics, wind and biomass fuels while improving transportation, waste management and energy efficiency in buildings. Lessons learned at UC Irvine will help communities establish their own flexible, secure and climate-neutral energy infrastructures.
The California Energy Commission awarded UC Irvine nearly $1 million for the project. The balance includes in-kind support from partners such as Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. and CTG Energetics.
The project will build on the university's existing research and commitment to sustainable energy practices. Scientists will identify issues that policymakers and industry leaders must address to encourage changes in the way Californians generate and use electricity.
"The living laboratory will include the existing 1 megawatt solar installation, building-efficiency practices and energy infrastructure," said APEP director Scott Samuelsen, mechanical, aerospace & environmental engineering professor. "Our research also will involve the city of Irvine and the Orange County Great Park."
Managed by Samuelsen, the endeavor will involve APEP faculty, staff and students; the National Fuel Cell Research Center; the California Institute for Telecommunications & Information Technology; and the Institute of Transportation Studies.
The project leverages UC Irvine's energy-efficient design and operations overseen by Wendell Brase, vice chancellor for administrative & business services.
Said Brase, "The stature of UCI serving as a living laboratory for advanced energy research is a testament to the years of collaboration between the engineering research and business operations of the university."
Established in 1970 with the creation of the UC Irvine Combustion Laboratory, the Advanced Power & Energy Program at the Henry Samueli School of Engineering is an umbrella entity that addresses the broad utilization of energy resources and the emerging nexus of electric power generation, infrastructure, transportation, water resources and the environment.
Founded in 1965, the University of California, Irvine, is a top-ranked university dedicated to research, scholarship and community service. Led by Chancellor Michael Drake since 2005, UC Irvine is among the fastest-growing University of California campuses, with more than 27,000 undergraduate and graduate students, 1,100 faculty and 9,200 staff. The top employer in dynamic Orange County, UC Irvine contributes an annual economic impact of $4.2 billion. For more news, visit www.today.uci.edu.