University-Based Energy Activities

Building Technology Program at MIT

Describes research and academic activities in the Building Technology Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Building Systems Program at the University of Colorado at Boulder

The Building Systems Program (BSP) is part of the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering (CEAE) and the College of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Colorado at Boulder (UCB). It is dedicated to excellence in energy-related research, development, education, and technical assistance. BSP focuses on energy efficiency in the buildings and industrial sectors as well as on practical applications of renewable energies.

California Institute for Energy Efficiency (CIEE)

An innovative University of California partnership of energy agencies, utilities, building industry, non-profits, and research entities designed to advance energy efficiency science and technology for the benefit of California and other energy consumers and the environment. CIEE is a branch of the University of California Energy Institute.

California Lighting Technology Center at UC Davis

The CLTC, established through a joint effort of the California Energy Commission and the University of California, Davis, conducts both cooperative and independent activities with lighting manufacturers, electric utilities and the design/engineering professional community. These partnerships are facilitated and supported through state-of-the-art lighting and day-lighting applications and development/testing facilities, coupled with lighting-efficiency training and educational programs.

Center for the Built Environment at the University of California, Berkeley

New technologies mean that today's buildings can be more efficient, more attractive, and more responsive to their occupants' needs than before. The challenge to building owners, operators and tenants is understanding the opportunities offered by these technologies, and learning how best to apply them. In May 1997, a group of industry and government leaders teamed up with faculty and researchers at the University of California, Berkeley to address this challenge. Together we created the Center for the Built Environment—a dynamic, collaborative place where people can share ideas for improving the design and operation of commercial buildings.

Cornell University's Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering

Cornell's Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering (BEE) is a leader in providing innovative educational programs to meet the challenges of the 21st century. BEE is at the focus of three great challenges facing humanity in the 21st century: Protecting or remediating the world's natural resources, developing engineering systems that monitor, replace, or intervene in the function and operation of living organisms, and ensuring an adequate and safe food supply in an era of expanding world population.

Energy Group, Princeton Environmental Institute at Princeton University

The Energy Group, a research unit at Princeton University since 1971, became part of the Princeton Environmental Institute in July 2001. It was formerly part of the Center for Energy & Environmental Studies (CEES). Research activities focus on identifying technologies and technology strategies and policies that could facilitate solutions for the long term of major energy-related societal problems—including global climate change, urban air pollution, energy-import dependence, the risk of nuclear weapons proliferation, and poverty in developing countries. Members of the Group advise dissertation research of graduate students in diverse departments at Princeton, including those in the School of Engineering and Applied Science and the School of Public and International Affairs. The Group welcomes participation in its research and training by interested faculty and students.

Energy Resources Center at the University of Illinois, Chicago

The Energy Resources Center is committed to providing the most comprehensive and up to date solutions to the energy and environmental problems affecting institutional, industrial and commercial sectors. Our current programs include; energy management assessments, economic modeling, analysis of policy and regulatory initiatives and a strong commitment to public outreach and education. We strive to incorporate cutting edge technologies with innovative, cost efficient solutions.

Energy Resources Group at the University of California, Berkeley

The Energy and Resources Group (ERG) is an interdisciplinary academic unit of the University of California at Berkeley, conducting programs of graduate teaching and research that treat issues of energy, resources, development, human and biological diversity, environmental justice, governance, global climate change and new approaches to thinking about economics and consumption. Established in 1973, ERG offers two-year MA and MS degrees in Energy and Resources, as well as a PhD.

Energy Systems Laboratory at the University of Texas

Texas A&M University's Energy Systems Laboratory (ESL), develops and transfers energy efficiency technology and specializes in field research such as; metering and modeling energy use in buildings; optimization of heating, ventilation, and cooling systems (known as Continuous Commissioning); and modeling and analysis of data collected, including calibrated simulation and measurement and verification of photovoltaic solar installations. This laboratory is one of the largest university-based research programs of its kind in the United States. One of its principal projects is the Texas LoanSTAR Program, designed to "Save Taxes And Resources" by monitoring energy use and recommending energy-saving retrofits.

Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) at the University of Central Florida

The Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) is the largest and most active state-supported renewable energy and energy efficiency research, training, testing and certification institute in the United States. An institute of the University of Central Florida (UCF), their mission is to research and develop energy technologies that enhance Florida's and the nation's economy and environment, and to educate the public, students and practitioners on the results of the research.

Green Design Institute at Carnegie Mellon University

The Green Design Institute has roots in two existing Carnegie Mellon centers: The Engineering Design Research Center and The Environmental Institute. Carnegie Mellon researchers are working to address the regulatory issues that shape the global marketplace. Through the Green Design Institute, they are solving problems and building tools that help businesses accomplish more with less. By joining in partnership with Carnegie Mellon, businesses will gain the tools they need to be competitive in the new environmental era.

Global Climate & Energy Project at Stanford University

The Global Climate and Energy Project (GCEP) at Stanford University is a long-term research effort bringing together the world's leading scientists from universities, research institutions, and private industry in fundamental, pre-commercial research on technologies that would foster the development of a global energy system with low greenhouse gas emissions. With the support and participation of four international companies—ExxonMobil, General Electric, Schlumberger, and Toyota—GCEP is a unique collaboration of the world's energy experts from research institutions and private industry. The Project's sponsors will invest a total of $225 million over 10 years as GCEP explores energy technologies that are efficient, environmentally benign, and cost-effective when deployed on a large scale.

Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania's Institute for Environmental Studies is dedicated to enlarging our understanding of key scientific, economic, and political issues and to providing new alternatives to global management of environmental resources. By providing a center of excellence in environmental research and education, the Institute contributes directly to an enhanced understanding of the complexity of environmental problems. In addition to many specific interests, the Institute has adopted watersheds and urban environmental issues as special priorities.

Institute of Transportation Studies at UC Davis

Founded in 1991, the Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California in Davis, has grown into a multifaceted program with more than 60 affiliated faculty members and 80 graduate students. Its primary program components are research, education, and outreach. Institute researchers are known for their expertise in travel behavior and transport systems modeling, environmental vehicle technologies, and climate change, air quality, and other environmental impacts of transportation. The Institute partners with academic and research centers on and off campus, and with industry, government, and nongovernmental organizations around the world. These partnerships ensure that ITS-Davis retains a broad-based, holistic, and independent perspective on sometimes contentious transportation policy and quality of life decisions.

Laboratory for Energy and the Environment (LFEE) at MIT

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Laboratory for Energy and the Environment fosters collaboration among industry, government, academia, nongovernmental organizations, and the public to address not only the complex interrelationships between energy and the environment, but also the technological, economic, and social aspects of sustainable energy development and use.

Lighting Research Center at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Flip a switch...pull back a curtain...the light that fills our homes and offices is something we seldom think about. But how does light affect us? Is it safe? Efficient? Does it help us feel happy, productive, and creative? How can we introduce the lighting we need without endangering our environment? The Lighting Research Center (LRC) in the School of Architecture at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute was formed in 1988 to answer these questions. The LRC's goal is to change architecture, through lighting that is energy efficient and responsive to human needs.

Public Utility Research Center at the University of Florida

The Public Utility Research Center (PURC), located in the Warrington College of Business at the University of Florida, was founded in 1972. PURC strives to enhance executives', regulators', academics', and students' knowledge of issues confronting public utilities and regulatory agencies by sponsoring conferences, seminars, and training programs, by engaging in research that addresses topics in the energy, telecommunications, and water industries, and by preparing students for careers in infrastructure industries.

University of California Energy Institute

The University of California Energy Institute (UCEI), located on the Berkeley campus, is a multi-campus research unit of the University of California system. Since its inception in 1980, UCEI's mission has been to foster research and educate students and policy makers on energy issues that are crucial to the future of California, the nation, and the world.

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