Solving Our Energy Crisis

UofL is answering Governor Beshear’s call to lead the state’s efforts in renewable energy research and sustainability by collaborating to establish the Conn Center for Renewable Energy Research and Environmental Stewardship. Here’s how we plan to really move the needle:

Energy Storage/Batteries

Conn Center will: Join with UK in partnering with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory to establish a national Battery Manufacturing R&D Center.

Bringing Kentucky: A new Lithium Ion Battery Manufacturing Lab focused on making small batteries for domestic production. This will help meet President Obama’s goal of having 1 million plug-in hybrid cars on the road by 2015.

Biomass/Biofuels

Conn Center will: Provide technical expertise and testing facilities to support goals of Governor’s Task Force on Biomass & Biofuels and Governor’s Energy & Agriculture Partnership.

Bringing Kentucky: New private investors to build plants to process biofuels with our research expertise. Will build on UofL relationships with industry partners such as Benefuel, Unitel, Sudchemie and Sodexo.

Energy Efficiency

Conn Center will: Develop the technologies for cost effective, zero-energy buildings.

Bringing Kentucky: The tools Kentucky businesses, schools and residents need to reduce energy consumption.

Solar Energy

Conn Center will: Recruit a team of experts to research conversion of sunlight directly into electricity with photovoltaic cells, solar collectors and thin films.

Bringing Kentucky: Human capital and new talent to set up a unique, flexible manufacturing R&D line for developing cost-effective, solar cell technologies for largescale energy production.

Materials Manufacturing & Characterization

Conn Center will: Focus on applied research — the discovery of solutions to practical problems —then demonstrating what is discovered can work in the real world.

Bringing Kentucky: Collaborations with different industries to create scale-up manufacturing of new materials—making them cost-effective and in usable quantities.

Leading By Example

UofL is answering Governor Beshear's call to lead the state in renewable energy not just by conducting research but also by ensuring that new buildings on campus are more energy efficient.  Recently the new Clinical and Translational Research building on the Health Sciences Campus received a Gold LEED certification in energy efficiency.  This is proof of the University of Louisville's continued commitment to sustainability.