Energy Transitions
Energy, a vital part of the world economy, is needed in ever-increasing amounts to sustain economic growth, raise living standards and reduce poverty. As the world’s population grows and economies become more industrialized, nonrenewable energy sources will become scarcer and costlier.
In fact, some reports caution that the world will need 40% more energy by 2030. That energy will need to be found in renewable sources — quickly and with reliability.
iSEE is fostering path-breaking new works in numerous areas of energy transitions:
- Renewables
- Optimization of supply and demand
- Systems and controls
- Micro grid and storage
- Pollution
Funded Projects
Next-Generation Feedstocks
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The U.S. Department of Energy awarded $5 million for this project in 2018, with Illinois leading a group of several partner institutions.
Led by Crop Sciences Associate Professor D.K. Lee, the project will work to learn what energy crops will be the most productive and valuable — and best for the environment. The team team will assess field-scale yield of advanced switchgrass varieties such as “Independence” (developed by Lee) for pre-commercialization.
Oil Pollution Treatment: Nano-CarboScavengers
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Awarded $170,000 in July 2015.
Led by Bioengineering Associate Professor Dipanjan Pan, the team will continue developing and optimizing a Nano-CarboScavenger (NCS), a particle designed to attract oil for easy removal from water.
Critical Infrastructure and Transportation
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Awarded $350,000 in July 2015.
Led by Civil and Environmental Engineering Professor Ximing Cai, this project will create a framework for new strategies to expand and operate interdependent critical infrastructure systems (ICIs) — using multiple renewable energy sources to fuel better regional and national transportation systems.
Cooking with the Sun: Stored Solar Stove
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Awarded $140,00 in June 2014.
Led by Agricultural and Biological Engineering Emeritus Professor Bruce Elliott-Litchfield, researchers have developed and field-tested prototype cooking systems that use stored solar energy.
iSEE-affiliated Research Centers
Energy at Illinois
Illinois is home to many experts who research the myriad of issues surrounding energy. Explore Illinois’ area of expertise; labs, facilities, and centers; and find individual experts at the Energy at Illinois website.
Illinois Energy Farm
Researchers at the University of Illinois have access to a gigantic “living laboratory” — the 320-acre Energy Farm on the Urbana-Champaign campus’ South Farms. Read more here >>>