Going Green – Research Centers in COE Working on Sustainable Energy Sources
Environmental awareness has recently taken off among mainstream Americans, but for Georgia Tech’s College of Engineering (COE), the concept of going green has been a critical research effort for the past several years. As part of the college’s strategic research goals, COE has been focusing on building research talent in the areas of sustainable energy within the schools of the college with a focus toward interdisciplinary efforts.
COE energy research is increasingly dedicated to preventing harm to the environment and human health. Engineering faculty focus on matters relating to: energy education, energy policy, energy efficiency, energy conservation and load management, renewable energy, distributed generation, protection of environmental resources, and the dissemination of useful information on energy alternatives and sustainability to users and providers of energy. Currently several centers within COE are concentrating on sustainable energy sources including all renewable sources, such as biofuels, solar power, wind power, wave power, geothermal power, and tidal power.
In the Center for Innovative Fuel Cell and Battery Technologies, researchers are working across a number of disciplines to explore low-temperature fuel cells for transportation; hybrid power systems to effectively match power demand and power generation; fuel processing to separate and transform fuels such as gas to liquids and coal gasification; battery materials which explore new electrolytes; and improving materials while improving energy density.
The Center for Organic Photonics and Electronics was established with a vision of becoming a leading resource for research, education, and innovation in the field of organic photonics and electronics serving the information-technology, energy, and defense sectors. Research programs in the center are developed based upon combining a fundamental understanding of the essential chemical and physical phenomena in organic-based materials with advanced materials processing and device engineering. Researchers hope that this will result in beneficial materials and devices that can have a positive economic and social impact. Current research projects focus on the fabrication and study of electronic and optoelectronic devices using readily-processed, low-cost, organic molecular or polymeric material such as light-emitting diodes, photovoltaics, and phototransistors.
COE faculty involved with the National Electric Energy Testing, Research, and Applications Center (NEETRAC) are working with electric utilities, equipment manufacturers, and related industries to help develop cost effective new technologies in the field of electric energy. Faced with changing regulations and emerging technologies, the center provides test facilities, pre-competitive research and development, a venue for sustained technology transfer, and the development of state-of-the art test methodologies and equipment to help industries handle changes in the field of electric energy.
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