US Energy Innovation Hubs

To little fanfare, as far as I can tell, the Department of Energy announced its third (and last) innovation hub. The TechBelt made a play for the funding, but came up short. The winner? Here:

The center will form researchers from 11 universities, two Department of Energy laboratories and five industry partners, including Bayer and I.B.M.

Regional economic development agencies and community colleges will also be in the research effort’s scope. Together, they will make up the Greater Philadelphia Innovation Cluster.

“Buildings consume 40 percent of the energy used in the United States. Finding ways to improve energy efficiency in buildings is the next big frontier in energy research and development,” said Graham Spanier, the school’s president.

“This award places Penn State and our partners at the forefront of this national effort,” Mr. Spanier continued.

Carnegie Mellon University, Morgan State University, Princeton University, Purdue University and Rutgers University are involved in the green buildings effort. Turner Construction and United Technologies Corporation will also take part as private sector partners.

The news wasn't all bad for Pittsburgh. CMU has a hand in the green buildings technologies initiative. Also, Westinghouse is a major player in the nuclear power hub. Overall, Pennsylvania did very well in these sweepstakes. Kudos to all those people who had a hand in making it happen.