The Energy Center at Discovery Park

Vision
To significantly contribute to the development of the energy solutions society is currently seeking as we prepare for the eventual transition from fossil fuels to other energy sources.

Narrative
Energy is a huge challenge facing society today. Petroleum and natural gas supplies have peaked, and their use is challenged by environmental and political issues.

Over the next few decades, we must efficiently use the available petroleum and natural gas resources and invent clear coal technologies for use over the next few centuries. At the same time, we must prepare to transition from fossil fuels to solar, wind, bio (renewable), and nuclear energy sources.

Purdues Future Energy Discovery Center (FEDC) is a multidisciplinary academic community of over 75 researchers, scientists, engineers and economists formed to interact with and significantly contribute to the energy solutions that states, nations, and the world are currently seeking.

Initial Projects

Social, Economic, and Political Aspects of Energy Use and Policy
Interpersonal communications, mass media, product cost, and product convenience all influence consumers choices of energy-consuming and energy-generating products. As a result, the technology development process can be most effective if technology acceptance analysis is performed simultaneously. The Social, Economic, and Political Aspects of Energy (SPEP) team within the FEDC will conduct such analyses for the energy technologies other FEDC groups are researching

Social, Economic, and Political Aspects of Energy Use and Policy
Interpersonal communications, mass media, product cost, and product convenience all influence consumers choices of energy-consuming and energy-generating products. As a result, the technology development process can be most effective if technology acceptance analysis is performed simultaneously. The Social, Economic, and Political Aspects of Energy (SPEP) team within the FEDC will conduct such analyses for the energy technologies other FEDC groups are researching.

Clean Coal Energy
A Coal Transformation Laboratory (CTL) will be established within the FEDC and will focus on technology for converting coal into combustible gases and liquids that can be cleanly burned to meet the exploding demand for electric power, heating, and transportation.

Bio Energy
Purdues Laboratory for Renewable Resource Engineering (LORRE) is developing process technologies that transform renewable plant materials, such as corn and soybeans, into transportation fuels. The FEDC will facilitate the progress of LORREs research.

High Efficiency Wind Turbines
Current technologies for wind power are based on conventional propeller technology. FEDC will explore the development of innovative new wind-turbine technology that offers significant advantages over conventional designs.

Advanced Electrochemical Systems
Advanced electrochemical-based energy systems can significantly change the way we generate, store, and use energy. This project will explore solar hydrogen, electrosynthesized materials, photo-bio-electro-chemical hydrogen generations, fermentation of biomass-based hydrogen production, and bio-fuel cells.

Electric Machines and Power Electronics
The FECD power electronics team will focus on creating the technology required to significantly reduce the cost of power electronics and electric machines. The team will also focus on developing tools that solve issues related to the integration of power electronics in large-scale systems. These projects have the potential to have a tremendous impact on the US power-transmission and delivery system.

Hydrogen Energy Systems
The FEDC will construct a vehicle-scale hydrogen storage and utilization laboratory that will be known as the Purdue Hydrogen Storage and Utilization Systems Laboratory. This lab will allow Purdue chemistry and chemical engineering researchers to study promising new technologies essential to the realization of the hydrogen economy.

Future Nuclear Energy
Purdue researchers are currently contributing to research on a breakthrough design concept for nuclear power plants known as Modular Boiling Water Reactor (MBWR). Nuclear reactors build using this technology are inherently safe and include built-in proliferation-resistant characteristics. The FEDC will allow further research of this technology.

Solar Energy
Solar energy holds the promise of being inexhaustible. It also produces hydrogen without emitting greenhouse gases. The FEDC solar team is researching novel solution chemistry processing routes that will enable the fabrication of low-cost, high-efficiency thin-film solar cells that can store energy.

Partners

More than 40 companies have shown interest in working with FEDC, including Rolls Royce, Cummins, energy utilities, steel companies, and nuclear reactor designers. The Purdue Physical Plant and the Energy Efficiency and Reliability Center at Purdue University Calumet are also interested in collaborating with the FEDC.