FirstEnergy has awarded the University of Akron in Nothern Ohio $2 million for an advanced energy research center. The center will focus on researching carbon capturing and fuel cell technologies.
The fund will be used to create the FirstEnergy Advanced Energy Research Center at the University and support development of carbon capture and coal-based fuel cells.
FirstEnergy also has secured a $250,000 contribution to the fund from CONSOL Energy, one of the nation’s leading coal producers and a major fuel supplier to the electric power industry in the northeast United States.
The Advanced Energy Research Center initially will focus on development of carbon capture technologies that could be used by fossil-fueled power plants and the development of coal-based fuel cells for commercial use.
The University also plans to expand the center’s work over time to include development of new electric grid technologies needed for end-use efficiency, demand response, distributed generation, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and energy storage, as well as advanced generation technologies such as renewables, clean-coal and other low- or zero-emissions technologies.