Kaptur announces that NASA has teamed with the University of Toledo's Clean Alternative Energy Incubator. Read more.
Marcy Kaptur announced that the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA) has signed on as a partner at the Clean
Alternative Energy Incubator at the University of Toledo. Congresswoman
Kaptur, a member of the House Appropriations Committee, said she has
secured a $1.13 million commitment from NASA to help bring
certification business to the center.
“This exciting partnership represents one more step toward a
brighter future for our region,” Kaptur said. “Bringing NASA into our
nationally-recognized alternative energy initiative will help make the
University of Toledo the center for solar energy research in America.”
Congresswoman Kaptur made the announcement at an event held at the
incubator, where she was joined by Dr. Lloyd A. Jacobs, president of
the University of Toledo, and Lucas County Commissioner Tina
Skeldon-Wozniak.
“UT is already recognized as one of the leading research institutions
in the nation—if not the leading institution—in the field of
alternative energy,” Kaptur said. “The partnership between NASA and UT
builds on a federal commitment of more than $50 million over the past
eight years and creates a synergy that holds out the promise of many
new, good-paying jobs in our region.
“We anticipate the Northwest Ohio-Southeast Michigan corridor will be
home to the largest research and development effort and manufacturing
capacity for photovoltaics in the nation.”
Congresswoman Kaptur said NASA is a logical partner for the UT Center
due to its long involvement with solar arrays and solar power in
general.
“As NASA celebrates its 50th anniversary, we welcome its participation
in our futuristic endeavors here in Toledo to provide America with a
clean, sustainable source of energy,” Kaptur said. “There is no greater
priority for America than to reclaim her energy independence. With NASA
as a partner, the UT Center for Photovoltaic Innovation and
Commercialization (PVIC) will bring that ‘Energy Independence Day’ ever
closer and create new opportunities in our region at the same time.”
Kaptur said the UT Wright Center is not even two years old, but already
is paying dividends for the nation and the community.
The NASA partnership will further expand the large-area, thin-film
photovoltaic testing and certification laboratory at UT. The goal is to
test and certify large-area solar modules and also predict their
performance for possible use in future space missions. This is
particularly important for the flexible, ultra-lightweight photovoltaic
modules that are currently under development by local companies such as
Toledo-based Xunlight.
As part of the project, UT and NASA (through its Glenn Research Center
in Brook Park, Ohio) will collaborate with the National Renewable
Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado to help meet an increasing
national demand for photovoltaic testing and certification at an Ohio
Photovoltaics Testing Facility.
Congresswoman Kaptur praised Dr. Jacobs for his commitment to
alternative energy research. She recognized Dr. Michael J. Heben, who
will coordinate the collaboration with NREL along with Dr. Randy
Ellingson. Dr. Heben currently has a joint appointment at UT and NREL,
but will leave the federal laboratory by the end of the year, as will
Dr. Ellingson.
Professor Robert Collins will be the principal investigator and
director of this project. The co-director will be Dr. Sylvain
Marsillac.
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