Johnson Controls is partnering with IBM to create a Smart Building Solution that can improve operations and reduce energy and water consumption in facilities worldwide. Johnson Controls will combine its prowess in energy efficiency and sustainable technologies with IBM’s software, hardware, and services. The result will help clients improve energy and asset management performance across their enterprises.
The University of North Carolina broke ground in February of 2010 on the $76 million Energy Production and Infrastructure Center in Charlotte. 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. EPIC will support research in energy production and infrastructure development with advanced laboratories, classrooms, and offices. Completion is expected in November of 2011.
The University of British Columbia is constructing the $37 million Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS) in Vancouver. Designed by Perkins + Will, the facility is designed to transcend carbon neutrality by acting as a net energy producer and a greenhouse gas-positive building. Slated for completion in summer of 2011, the project will function as a living laboratory for sustainable design, construction, and operation.
Wind turbine manufacturer Clipper will break ground in spring of 2010 on a wind turbine blade factory in Newcastle in the United Kingdom. The facility will house up to 500 employees and is slated for completion in the third quarter of 2010. Clipper is based in Carpinteria, Calif.
REpower has completed construction of a test wind farm in Gaspé, Quebec. Created in partnership with Renewable Energy Systems Canada, the Site Nordique Experimental en EolienCORUS (SNEEC) features two 2.05 megawatt cold climate turbines specially designed for the Canadian 60-hertz network. The wind farm will support research, development, and testing of turbines that can function in extreme temperature conditions. The developer and owner of the project is the Wind Energy TechnoCentre.
Proterra will begin construction in spring of 2010 on a $68 million research, development, and manufacturing facility in Greenville, S.C. Located at the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR), the 240,000-sf building will be sited on five acres. Proterra is based in Golden, Colo., and is a manufacturer of electric and hybrid drive trains for buses, trucks, and other vehicles.
Singapore Emulsion Fuel opened the first clear nano-emulsion diesel plant in Asia in February of 2010. The 40,000-sf facility is located in the Tuas district in Singapore. The plant produces an emulsion diesel fuel that can be utilized without any retrofitting or modification of engines and releases fewer harmful gas emissions.
DuPont opened the Meyrin Photovoltaic Application Laboratory in February of 2010 at its European Technical Center in Geneva. The R&D facility will support the development of next-generation photovoltaic products and technologies. Designed to promote collaboration between customers, industry partners, and academia, the laboratory will advance solar module design and accelerate product development.
Idaho National Laboratory is planning to break ground in spring of 2010 on four new facilities in Idaho Falls. Creating an integrated complex, the buildings will include a research and education laboratory, a testing demonstration center, a second building for the Center for Advanced Energy Studies (CAES), and a cafeteria.
The University of California, Berkeley will break ground in June of 2010 on the 113,000-gsf Helios Research Facility West in downtown Berkeley. The 64,000-nsf project will house wet laboratories for molecular and microbial biology, fermentation, and chemical separation, as well as greenhouses, warm and cold rooms, shared instrumentation space, offices, workrooms, and conference space. Accommodating biofuels research and development, the Helios facility will house the BP-funded Energy Biosciences Institute.
The University of Maine began construction in December of 2009 on the $17.4 million Advanced Nanocomposites in Renewable Energy Lab (ARNEL) in Orono, Maine. The 30,000-sf project is being built as an addition to the Advanced Structures and Composites Center and will support materials and engineering research to develop components for the deepwater offshore wind energy industry. The project was awarded $12.4 million in stimulus funding from the National Institute of Standards and Technology in January of 2010.
The University of Kentucky will begin construction in late summer of 2010 on a 36,000-sf energy research facility in Lexington. Located in the Spindletop Research Park, the project represents an expansion of the nearby Center for Applied Energy Research. The $15.8 million project was awarded $11.8 million in stimulus funding in January of 2010 by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The facility will support research into biofuels, biomass, wind, and solar energy.
The University of Kansas School of Engineering will break ground in 2010 on the $18.8 million Measurement, Materials and Sustainable Environment Center in Lawrence. Supported by $12.3 million in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the 36,690-sf facility will house laboratory and support space for research in biofuels, environmental science, and energy technologies. Completion is slated for spring of 2012. The facility will feature a green roof, solar shades, and reflected sunlight for illumination.
The University of Wisconsin will begin construction in mid-2010 on the $75.7 million Wisconsin Energy Institute in Madison. Designed by HOK and Potter Lawson, the 200,000-sf facility will support renewable energy research. M.A. Mortenson Co. is the general contractor for the project.
Johnson Controls is partnering with French manufacturer Saft to construct an advanced lithium-ion battery manufacturing plant in Holland, Mich. Supported by $299.2 million in stimulus funding from the Department of Energy, the 127,000-sf facility will feature cleanrooms for next-generation automotive battery manufacturing. Production of battery assemblies for electric and hybrid vehicles will begin in fall of 2010 with full production capacity expected by 2013.
