The University of Nevada, Reno has created the Renewable Energy Center, a new collaborative that will coordinate programs for competitive research in an effort to increase Nevada's national stature in the renewable energy field.
"The university is a leader in renewable energy research education in Nevada, and through this collaborative we can work to make Nevada a powerhouse in renewable energy in the entire country," Professor Mano Misra, director of the new Center, said.
The collaboration focuses primarily on the work of the university's colleges of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources, Business, Engineering and Science.
"We will continue to work to bring together education and industry to develop these systems here in Nevada, boosting the economy with jobs as well as sales of products and services," Misra said.
For more than 10 years, the university has conducted renewable energy research in such areas as geothermal, biomass and hydrogen energy and began offering a minor in renewable energy in 2007.
Provost Marc Johnson said the Renewable Energy Center will make it easier for industry and the business community to work with the university on green endeavors.
"We want to train students for the increasingly technological workforce and build our capacity for research at the same time," he said.
Manos Maragakis, dean of the UNR College of Engineering, said the collaborative will work with the Desert Research Institute and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas to make Nevada a leader in renewable energy.
"With the collaborative, we can build on our past successes in this arena," Maragakis said.
Misra said one of the first steps will be to build a one-stop renewable energy Web site so grant-giving agencies, students, faculty and the public can find information quickly.
A national renewable energy conference is being organized for the fall.
