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Florida Solar Energy Center
UCF Solar Energy Research Center Shines in Research and Community Outreach
By: Robert Wells
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UCF’s Florida Solar Energy Center, now rebranded as the FSEC Energy Research Center (FSEC-ERC), has shined the past year with its research and community outreach.
The center, established in 1975 to serve as the state’s solar energy research institute, focuses on all aspects of renewable energy and energy efficiency research. FSEC-ERC’s strong presence and partnerships with the RISES Cluster and Center for Advanced Turbines and Energy Research (CATER) is part of the reason UCF researchers were selected for four U.S. Department of Energy awards in 2020, the most of any university.
The awards amplify UCF’s national leadership in solar energy research. The awards include Securing Our Nation’s Power Grid, Extending the Operational Life of Solar Panels, Improving the Reliability of Bifacial Solar Panels, and Optimizing Compressors for Solar-Thermal Power.
Researchers at the center also recently completed a project for DOE that tested the use of residential isolation space control to minimize the transmission of infectious diseases, like COVID-19, between family members in single-family homes. They found lowcost methods could be used to create a safe, comfortable isolation zone for an infectious person in a typical home.
The center also developed an online residential energy modeler certification, which is the first step in preparing a workforce to perform energy ratings for homes. The certification can be earned by completing four, on-demand, short courses and passing the corresponding exam.
In the community, FSEC-ERC is working with Orlando Utilities Commission, Plug Power, and OneH2, Inc., to build a nearly $10 million pilot-scale system that will integrate hydrogen as a renewable fuel source for both backing up a solar energy system and for use in fuel cell vehicles. FSEC-ERC is performing the systems optimization and control strategy of the pilot system. The center also reaches out to local K-12 students and teachers through its annual EnergyWhiz event, held virtually in 2021 after the traditional in-person event was canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19. EnergyWhiz is a hands-on renewable energy-focused event for students to demonstrate their science, technology, engineering, art, and math capabilities through project-based learning activities.
“The year 2025 will mark the half-century mark for FSEC-ERC’s service as the statewide energy research and education institute,” says James Fenton, the center’s director and a professor in UCF’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering. “In preparation for the next 50 years of dynamic energy developments, the FSECERC is implementing our recently adopted five-year strategic plan. This includes enhancing the center’s core programs, supporting the clean-energy sector, maintaining and adding to our broad base of collaborators, increasing awareness of the center, and nurturing a diverse and inclusive workforce.”
