Energy Research
GW Virginia Campus

There are two thrusts for energy research at The GW Virginia Science and Technology Campus: renewable energy science and energy technology engineering.

Faculty in chemistry, physics, and mechanical engineering collaborate to develop solutions to critical energy problems. Faculty members explore and develop new approaches to renewable energy and engineering technology directed toward ensuring a sustainable energy future.

Coupled with their research, faculty are also creating innovative graduate certificate and degree programs to supply a future workforce of highly trained energy professionals and researchers to meet the increasing needs of the energy industries.

Energy scientists and engineers are working to create a regional center that will provide the expertise and technology infrastructure needed to support the development of a vibrant energy industry in Northern Virginia, as well as to offer opportunities for existing industries to improve energy efficiency in buildings, processes, and products through cooperative research projects at the Virginia Campus. A number of new faculty members have already joined the Campus to launch research initiatives, and recruitment efforts are underway for additional faculty. Laboratories have been constructed to investigate a wide range of alternative energy solutions and means of achieving more efficient energy use.

Renewable Energy Research

• Renewable energy research includes solar energy conversion, fuel cells, battery science, carbon dioxide activation, chemical conversion, and utilization; biochemical, biometric, and biological conversion of solar energy, and wind turbine and wind farm design.

Energy Technology Engineering

• Research in energy technology engineering will explore efficiency improvement and cost reduction of energy generation systems; energy efficient computing with minimum leakage and overheating; nanomaterials research for low cost structures, energy transmission, and solar photovoltaic; bio clean up and bioconversion of fuels from cellulosic, waste, plants, etc.; and energy management and control of buildings' energy usage. Future plans include construction of a wind and solar test bed facility and additional specialty labs, establishing "energy" master's degree programs in different disciplines and initiating a doctoral program in science energy and engineering.

Energy Research Laboratories

• • Biologically Inspired Energy Laboratory
  (new, spring 2013)
  Director: Megan Leftwich, Ph.D.,
  Princeton University


• • Energy Efficiency Research Lab
  Director: Stephen M. Hsu, Ph.D.,
  Pennsylvania State University


• • Nanomaterials & Nanomechanics Lab
  Director: Stephen M. Hsu, Ph.D.,
  Pennsylvania State University
  
  
• • Photo Emission Advanced Research Lab (PEARL)
  Director: Andrei Afanasev, Ph.D., Kharkov National University of Ukraine; Gus Weiss Associate Professor of Theoretical Physics; Lead Physicist, Energy Research
  


• • Renewable Energy R & D Solutions Lab
  Director: Stuart L. Licht, Ph.D.
  Weizmann Institute of Science
  


• • Smart Systems Lab
  Director: Adam Wickenheiser, Ph.D.
  Cornell University
  
  
• • Thermo-Fluids Lab
  Director: Philippe M. Bardet, Ph.D.
  University of California, Berkeley
  
  
• • Turbulence, Fluid Dynamics and Wind Energy Lab
  Director: Michael W. Plesniak, Ph.D.
  Stanford University