The $20.8 million new laboratory at the Center for Applied Energy Research uses 54% less energy than similar facilities, and is in the process of becoming LEED Gold certified. It will allow the University of Kentucky to expand research devoted to Kentucky's growing renewable energy industries, including biomass and biofuels, electrochemical power sources (like capacitors and batteries), and distributed solar energy technologies.
The facility was funded by a competitive grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act's (ARRA) NIST Construction Grant Program. The award consisted of $11.8 million in federal funds, with matching resources of $3.5 million provided by the Commonwealth of Kentucky and $1.9 million from UK. An additional award of $3.5 million in state ARRA funds was provided by the Department of Energy Development and Independence to achieve LEED certification and ensure that this new laboratory is a model for energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies.
Produced by Research Communications at the University of Kentucky.