Op-Ed: A permanent Clean Energy Fund would unlock Washington’s full innovation potential
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]By Daniel Kirschen and Anjan Bose For the Spokesman-Review March 7, 2023 Washington is a national leader on responses to climate change, bolstered by a series of bold policies enacted by legislators and Gov. Jay Inslee over the past 10 years. The Clean Energy Transformation Act (2019) and Climate Commitment Act (2021) mandate full decarbonization of the state’s utilities and other economic sectors by 2045 and 2050, respectively. These are grand challenges, but the technologies and talent we need are already in development — and many are already being demonstrated and deployed thanks to the Clean Energy Fund (CEF). By making CEF a permanent part of the biennial...
An empowering education
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height="15px"][vc_column_text]By Lyra Fontaine | Photos by Dennis Wise / University of Washington[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height="15px"][mkd_section_title title="Ph.D. candidate Malia Steward shares her journey to researching renewable energy and how she’s working to improve solar cell efficiency." title_size="small" title_color="" title_text_align="" margin_bottom="" width=""][vc_empty_space height="15px"][vc_column_text]ME Ph.D. candidate Malia Steward’s work focuses on solar energy – the fastest-growing source of new electricity in the country, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Photovoltaic or solar cells are made of semiconductor material that absorbs the energy of sunlight and converts it to electrical power. Steward finds the process of building solar cells layer-by-layer using microfabrication equipment, then using tools to measure the cells’ performance,...
Preparing tomorrow’s clean energy leaders
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][mkd_section_title title="A multi-disciplinary course is training students across the scales of clean energy — from materials and devices to storage and power grid integration." title_size="small" title_color="" title_text_align="" margin_bottom="" width=""][vc_empty_space height="16px"][vc_column_text]December 12, 2022 By Chelsea Yates | Photos by Dennis Wise / University of Washington[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]“I’ve grown up witnessing climate change first-hand — more severe wildfires, draught, hurricanes, and the list keeps growing unfortunately,” says materials science and engineering (MSE) graduate student Arun Sundar. “We need to understand the broader effects of climate change, and we need to take action.” For him, this has meant a course of study in energy storage and emerging energy technologies. Sundar decided...
Jonathan Onorato & Mitchell Kaiser win Clean Energy Student Achievement awards
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height="10px"][vc_column_text]Onorato receives Scientific Achievement Award for work with semiconducting polymers; Kaiser receives Outreach & Service Award for contributions to CEI K-12 education programs[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height="10px"][vc_column_text]July 6, 2021[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height="10px"][vc_column_text]Dr. Jonathan Onorato and Mitchell Kaiser received the Clean Energy Institute’s Student Achievement Awards at CEI’s annual end-of-year seminar, held virtually on May 27, 2021.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height="10px"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]Onorato, a postdoctoral researcher in Professor Christine Luscombe’s research group, won the Scientific Achievement Award which recognizes UW trainees who have demonstrated extraordinary productivity in clean energy research and scholarship, and have contributed meaningfully to the scientific community. Onorato’s research focuses on semiconducting polymers for flexible and stretchable organic photovoltaics (OPVs)...
Testbeds and strategic partners receive EPIC grant from U.S. Department of Energy
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]June 24, 2021[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]The Northwest Cleantech Innovation Network (NWCIN), formed in partnership with VertueLab, CleanTech Alliance, Washington Clean Energy Testbeds, and Joint Center for Deployment and Research in Earth Abundant Materials (JCDREAM), is one of 10 incubators and accelerators nationwide receiving grants totaling $9.5M as part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Program Innovation Clusters (EPIC) initiative. As part of this initiative, the Testbeds will launch the new CleanTech Hardware Innovation Prototyping (CHIP) program that will increase access to advanced capabilities for scaled prototyping, testing, and demonstration at the facility. Read more about the grant and our partners here.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]...
Dianne Xiao receives DOE Early Career Research Award
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]June 11, 2021[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Originally published by the University of Washington Department of Chemistry.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Assistant Professor Dianne Xiao has received an award from the Department of Energy’s Early Career Research Program, an effort “designed to bolster the nation’s scientific workforce by providing support to exceptional researchers during the crucial early career years, when many scientists do their most formative work.” Prof. Xiao’s research program seeks to discover next generation materials that address unmet needs in clean energy, catalysis, and environmental remediation. Her group studies a wide range of material types, from metal–organic frameworks to supramolecular cages and their polymer hybrids. A common theme is the presence of well-defined internal...
Former cleantech executive leads development of University of Washington energy research and technology center
UW and CEI named Kevin Klustner executive director of the Center for Advanced Materials and Clean Energy Technologies (CAMCET). When complete, CAMCET will be a 340,000 square-foot building that will bring together UW scientists and engineers with industry, civic and nonprofit partners to accelerate clean energy solutions for a healthy planet. ...
UW professor and Clean Energy Institute director Daniel Schwartz wins highest U.S. award for STEM mentors
Schwartz received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM) from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the National Science Foundation for his commitment to interdisciplinary graduate education and his dedication to recruiting and supporting Native American STEM scholars at the UW. ...
