Renewable Energy Center
Opens
at Redfield Campus
Students and faculty engaged in geothermal, wind, solar, hydrogen and biofuels research have a new laboratory — The University of Nevada, Reno Renewable Energy Center at the Redfield Campus.
Completed in August 2008, the center is one of three new centers in Nevada and part of the Nevada Southwest Energy Partnership funded by a grant from Senator Harry Reid and managed by the National Renewable Energy Lab. The University has partnered with NV Energy, Ormat Technologies, Inc., and the Nell J. Redfield Foundation to build the laboratory to demonstrate the benefits of transitioning to a cleaner, more secure, more reliable and affordable energy future.
The center is uniquely located in an area with abundant solar and geothermal resources, as well as significant wind energy, according to Dr. Ted Batchman, the center’s founding director. He said the vision is to make this center nationally recognized for renewable energy education, research and outreach programs.
“The goal is to develop partnerships with industry, government agencies, university educators and researchers to help Nevada achieve its goal of becoming energy independent and a net exporter of green energy, “ he said.
In January 2008, the College of Engineering, in cooperation with other University academic departments, initiated an interdisciplinary minor in renewable energy. Open to all students, the minor is designed to expose students to a broad range of technical and social/political disciplines.
“A major issue facing electrical utility companies and energy users is integrating and managing a distributed generation system in an effective and efficient manner, “ Batchman said. “Our research will examine ways to address grid stability, renewable integration, and renewable energy financing, and to maximize energy efficiency.”
To keep up to date on The Redfield Campus and its programs visit www.redfieldcampus.unr.edu.
