FirstEnergy Advanced Energy Research Center

The University of Akron’s Board of Trustees has approved the establishment of the FirstEnergy Advanced Energy Research Center at UA, which will focus on the development of carbon dioxide capture technologies that may soon be used by fossil-fueled power plants and the development of coal-based fuel cells for commercial use.

The center will be housed at UA’s College of Engineering in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, and includes the disciplines of mechanical engineering and electrical engineering.

The University received an initial seed fund of $2 million from FirstEnergy Corp. in 2008 to accelerate the research and development efforts on carbon capture and coal-based fuel cell technologies, which have been funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Ohio Coal Development Office and led by Dr. Steven Chuang, UA professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering.

FirstEnergy President and Chief Executive Officer Anthony J. Alexander and UA President Luis M. Proenza applauded the official formation of the center, which is dedicated to the research and development of efficient electric power generation technology with minimum CO2 emissions.

“The University has a long tradition of technologies research in general and energy studies in particular, including the areas of carbon capture and coal-based fuel cells,” said Alexander. “We are proud to help build on this strong foundation and we are hopeful that our contribution will inspire others to support the University’s important work in energy research.”

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Wolf Ledges Engineering Center

The Wolf Ledges Engineering Center will be a 35,000-square-foot-building that will house faculty offices and research labs, as well as office space for our research partners.

The college’s award-winning student alternative energy automotive design teams will have garage facilities in the lower level.

The facility will be located on Wolf Ledges Parkway in close proximity of the existing College of Engineering Turbine Research and Testing facility.

“With our tremendous growth, the college was in need of expanded facilities,” says Dr. George Haritos, dean of the college. “In addition to offering state-of-the-art research labs and conference space, this facility will incorporate environmentally friendly features.”

In addition to the University’s commitment of $2 million, funding for the center will come from private donations.