Energy

Dow Chemical Co. is partnering with Algenol Biofuels of Naples, Fla., to construct an ethanol production plant in Freeport, Texas. The facility will utilize algae to convert carbon dioxide into ethanol. Able to produce 100,000 gallons of ethanol per year, the facility will feature bioreactors made of advanced materials and specialty films created by Dow. Algenol is also constructing an $850 million demonstration plant in Mexico with partner Sonora Fields S.A.P.I. de C.V., a subsidiary of Biofields.

Maui Community College's planned $26 million, 34,000-sf science building, designed by Design Partners of Honolulu, is targeted for LEED Gold certification-a real challenge, as some of the LEED criteria, such as using building materials obtained from within a few hundred miles, are impossible for the island location. The building will house eight separate laboratories, a lecture hall, a large foyer intended for exhibitions, and a small, separate observatory. "Green" features will include solar photovoltaic panels, rooftop wind turbines, skylights, and light wells.

The Department of Energy (DOE) and the FutureGen Alliance have agreed to develop plans for a commercial carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) facility in Mattoon, Ill. The flagship facility would be the first in the country designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The University of Minnesota (UM) and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory are planning the NuMI Off-Axis Electron Neutrino Appearance Experiment (NOvA), which will be built 45 feet below ground near Ash River, Minn. The $270 million project , which has received $40 million in Federal stimulus grant funding, will operate as a UM School of Physics and Astronomy lab. The balance of the funding will come from the U.S. Department of Energy. The subatomical research is expected to shed light on the origins of the universe.

Mesalands Community College will begin construction in November of 2009 on the $7 million North American Wind Research and Training Center in Tucumari, N.M. The 26,385-sf facility was designed by Kilmer and Associates of Clovis and is slated for completion in December of 2010. The project will be comprised of a 12,697-sf wind turbine workshop and a 13,688-sf facility housing classrooms, labs, offices, and a lecture hall.

Siemens Energy will begin construction in August of 2009 on a 300,000-sf nacelle production facility in Hutchinson, Kansas. The wind turbine manufacturing facility will be accompanied by an 80,000-sf service and repair building. The project is sited on over 100 acres and will house 400 employees. Production will begin in late 2010.

The U.S. Department of Energy announced the launch of the Hospital Energy Alliance (HEA) in April of 2009. The HEA is an industry-led partnership between the DOE and national healthcare sector leaders to promote the integration of advanced energy efficiency and renewable technologies in hospital design, construction, retrofit, operations, and maintenance.

Oklahoma State University will officially break ground on the Institute for Agricultural Biosciences on May 1, 2009. Located in Ardmore, the facility will support research on agricultural energy sources in collaboration with the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation. The building will house administrative space, traditional and controlled environmental laboratories, greenhouses, and conference rooms for the OSU Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. LEED certification for sustainable design will be sought for the project.

UC Santa Cruz is partnering with Foothill-De Anza Community College and NASA Ames Research Center to create a $1 billion research and education campus at Moffett Field in Mountain View, Calif. The project will support research on energy, sustainable technologies, and advanced computing. The campus will include classrooms, research labs, a business incubator, and housing. Construction is expected begin between 2012 and 2014. The facilities will be sustainably designed and will feature solar and wind power and water reclamation.

Honda R&D Co. will begin construction in April of 2009 on a cellulosic ethanol research facility in Japan. Located in the Kazusa Akademia Park in Kisarazu, Chiba, the 1,050-sm laboratory will produce biofuels from non-food feedstocks. The building will house research, development, and testing facilities. Completion is expected by November of 2009.

The University of California, Berkeley dedicated the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS) headquarters on February 27, 2009. Located in the seven-story, 141,000-gsf Sutardja Dai Hall, the facility features the Marvell Nanofabrication Laboratory which contains two 15,000-sf cleanrooms. The multidisciplinary building houses research laboratories, offices, distance learning classrooms, conference rooms, and a 149-seat auditorium.

Idaho National Laboratory dedicated the $17 million Center for Advanced Energy Studies in Idaho Falls on February 20, 2009. Located on the banks of the Snake River on the campus of Idaho State University, the 55,000-sf facility was created in partnership with the state of Idaho and its three public research universities. When fully occupied, the building will house nearly 160 people including graduate students, researchers from INL and academic institutions, and private industry partners.

The University of Colorado at Boulder is planning to construct the $40 million Aerospace and Energy Systems Building. The facility will house research clusters for earth sciences, sensing, space science and technology, and unmanned aircraft system design and fabrication. The Aerospace and Energy Systems Building will support collaboration with government and industry partners including Ball Aerospace Systems and Lockheed Martin.

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte is planning to construct the $76 million Energy Production and Infrastructure Center (EPIC) on the Charlotte Research Institute campus. Designed by Narmour Wright Creech Architects, the 200,000-sf collaborative teaching and research facility will house the departments of Civil & Environmental Engineering and Electrical Engineering. Groundbreaking is expected in late summer of 2009 with completion slated for 2011.

The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) announced in January of 2008 that five electric utilities in the United States and Canada have joined EPRI to host studies of the impacts of retrofitting advanced amine-based post-combustion carbon dioxide capture technology to existing coal-fired power plants. In addition to the five host site companies, 15 other companies and organizations, including six from Canada and one from Australia, have joined the project.