Proposal Title: Tennessee Solar Conversion and Storage using Outreach, Research and Education (TN-SCORE)
Institution: University of Tennessee Knoxville
This first Research Infrastructure Improvement (RII) Award to the state of Tennessee would expand and enhance the physical, personnel, and cyberinfrastructure at academic institutions. The RII program builds on the momentum generated by the state government's investment in clean energy sector for economic development and the recent hiring of eminent faculty members in energy related areas in the University of Tennessee system. The RII program entitled "Tennessee Solar Conversion and Storage Using Outreach, Research and Education (TN-SCORE)" would leverage state investments, build partnerships for research and educational activities among ten higher educational institutions across the state, and provide meaningful research experience to secondary school teachers and students.
Intellectual Merit The RII program is focused on energy research and education involving nine geographically distributed colleges and universities in Tennessee and strengthens collaborations between academic institutions and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Research focus centers around three thrust areas: (1) Sustainable methods and materials for solar energy capture and conversion; research is on photovoltaic cells fabricated using thin Si films, hybrid organic-semiconductors, and novel biomaterials. (2) Electrochemical energy conversion (fuel cells) and storage (batteries) devices. (3) Development of novel nanostructures and nanomaterials to enhance energy efficiency in the areas of solid state lighting and solar energy conversion. The facilities available at the University of Tennessee Knoxville, Vanderbilt University, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory are leveraged to address the challenges in the development of renewable and environmentally clean energy sources and advance the current status of the field.
Broader Impacts The implementation of this RII program would establish a robust infrastructure for research and educational collaboration across the state of Tennessee. The project would help build Tennessee's capacity for national competitiveness in alternative, renewable energy arena. The project would create new collaborations among Universities and colleges in Tennessee and with Oak Ridge National Laboratory. These partnerships would help eliminate geographical parochialism which is identified as one of the barriers to fully develop the state's capabilities in Tennessee Science and Technology Plan. The program involves students at all levels and thus would prepare a well-trained workforce in renewable energy related areas. Plans to develop a road show and news items on energy research for general audiences would inform the public about the importance of basic research and energy related issues.
