The consortium — known as REBECCA, short for Regional Energy Business, ����ֱ��, and Commercialization Convergence Accelerator — has been selected for a $500,000 Phase 1 planning grant under the U.S. Tech Hubs Program. The program, authorized by the federal CHIPS and Science Act, aims to transform high-potential regions across the country into globally competitive innovation centers.

“UofL is a top-tier, community-engaged research institution, and we’ve developed a solid track record of partnering with industry to solve important problems,” said Kim Schatzel, president of UofL. “With REBECCA, we are excited to build on UofL’s already impactful energy research and work with our industry partners to develop Kentucky’s energy strength.”

At UofL, work on REBECCA will be led by researchers Mahendra Sunkara and Sundar Atre in the . Consortium partners include the , , and , a Haier company.��

Together, they will use the Phase 1 Tech Hubs funding to study the region’s energy economy and develop a plan for its continued growth, including needed technology, infrastructure and workforce. As a successful Phase 1 applicant, REBECCA also is eligible to compete for up to $75 million in Phase 2 funding to implement their plan.��

“The UofL REBECCA consortium aligns with Louisville’s economic development and net-zero energy goals,” said Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg. “We are very eager to see this project bring new green jobs and advance our state’s investment and leadership in renewable energy technology.”

Energy is a , with more than a third of all energy produced going toward agriculture, the production of food and beverage, manufacturing and other industry. As both the public and private sectors invest in new energy technologies — such as renewables — there’s a need for more innovation, infrastructure and .

“We’re excited to be a part of this project and what the future holds for this region and job growth in the renewable energy space,” said Kevin Nolan, president and CEO of GE Appliances, a Haier company.�� “This aligns with our focus on net zero energy homes, and how we can innovate products that use less energy and work with renewable energy sources and energy storage solutions.”

Beyond developing a strategy for the energy Tech Hub in Kentucky, the consortium will conduct workforce development programs and partner with UofL researchers on pilot projects related to energy production, use and efficiency. GE Appliances will work on a solar power microgrid, TARC will work to introduce extended-range battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell buses into the fleet, and Clariant will work on hydrogen storage and delivery.

“We at Clariant are thrilled that UofL will be leading a new Tech Hub focused on the energy transition in Kentucky through the new consortium REBECCA,” said Victor Johnston, head of Clariant’s Louisville R&D Center.��“With our longstanding ties to Louisville, we have had the privilege of partnering with the university for many years on critical research in catalyst development, materials science and cultivating STEM talent. This recognition is well-deserved. We eagerly anticipate continuing our collaboration with REBECCA, which will drive innovations that shape the future of energy.”

UofL has significant expertise in working with industry to innovate in renewable energy and energy efficiency, including through the Speed School’s Conn Center — established more than a decade ago in honor of major donors Hank and Rebecca Conn, for whom REBECCA is named. Emmanuel Collins, dean of the Speed School, said partnership with industry is critical to understanding gaps and growing the state’s capacity to manufacture, commercialize and deploy these technologies.

“UofL and the Speed School have a long track-record of success and leadership in energy research and academics,” Collins said. “I’m looking forward to working with our partners to build on that success, strengthening the regional innovation ecosystem and advancing the state’s bright energy future.”

Professor Green – often described as the “father of modern photovoltaics” – is recognized for his pioneering efforts and groundbreaking achievements in high conversion efficiency of silicon photovoltaic materials as well as leading the invention and development of the passivated emitter and rear contact (PERC) solar cell.

PERC technology improved the quality of both the top and rear surfaces of standard silicon solar cells, resulting in greater and more efficient generation. This allowed more electricity to be generated from sunlight, lowering costs and increasing the adoption of sustainable solar energy worldwide.

The technology breakthrough helped increase the conversion efficiency of standard solar cells by over 50% in relative terms from 16.5% in the early 1980s to 25% in the early 2000s. Through successive improvements to cell design and fabrication, Green and his team held the record for silicon cell efficiency for 30 of the past 40 years.

PERC currently dominates solar cell production worldwide. Together with Tunnel Oxide Passivated Contact (TOPCon) cells – first demonstrated by Green’s research group at UNSW – the cells account for more than 90% of solar cells manufactured in the world today at a sales value exceeding $100 billion USD to date.

Development of this technology also resulted in the training of a generation of students who, with Green’s support, applied their acquired skills to establish solar cell manufacturing in Asia. These achievements are unique globally in both the quantum of efficiency improvement and the share of manufacturing capacity.

Professor Green is thrilled to be awarded the Leigh Ann Conn Prize. “From the start of my career, I was determined to do something that would make a difference in the world. I am very proud that, through the efforts of my team and countless others, we now have low-cost solar as a means for reducing the impact of climate change while, at the same time, reducing the cost of energy generation, something not widely thought possible only a decade ago,” said Green.

UNSW’s acting Vice-Chancellor and President Professor George Williams congratulated Professor Green on winning the Prize.

“Martin is a brilliant engineer whose leadership and accomplishments have led to the creation and development of the world’s solar manufacturing industry. His life’s work benefits people around the globe every day and is arguably our biggest weapon to combat global warming and climate change. Everyone at UNSW is proud to celebrate this well-deserved honour with him,” Williams said.

In March 2024, Green will give a public lecture in Louisville about his winning work and achievements, trials and tribulations. He will receive the Conn Prize medal and $50,000 award at a formal ceremony.

“Professor Martin Green is a true pioneer in the field of photovoltaics,” said University of Louisville President Kim Schatzel, who will confer the award. “His work in solar cell technology is of great importance worldwide, and it is an honor to bestow upon him the Leigh Ann Conn Prize.”

The UofL prize is named for the late daughter of Hank and Rebecca Conn, who were university alumni, supporters and the prize benefactors. Their vision to create a legacy in honor of Leigh Ann celebrates scientists with the fortitude, patience, and resiliency to endure renewable energy technology innovation and translation into the marketplace, where impact occurs.

Nominations for the 2025 Leigh Ann Conn Prize competition close Dec. 31, 2024. Criteria and instructions are found at . For more information, contact Andrew Marsh at 502-852-8597 or LeighAnnConnPrize@louisville.edu.

Snaith is recognized for his work on the development of perovskite solar cell technology. This technology enables more electricity to be generated from sunlight, increasing the adoption of sustainable solar energy worldwide.��

Snaith was one of the first people in the world to recognize the potential of metal halide perovskite, a crystalline semiconductor material, as a solar absorber and charge conductor in 2012. In the decade since, he has led the research community in advancing fundamental understanding of perovskite materials and making them practically useful by improving device efficiencies, long-term stability and cost effectiveness. ��His ongoing research at the University of Oxford aims to increase the efficiency and durability of perovskite solar cells further with the goal of reducing the overall cost of electricity production.

“This is a wonderful achievement and richly deserved,” said Ian Shipsey, professor and head of the Department of Physics at Oxford. “Henry’s work is indeed ground-breaking; photovoltaic research is vital if we are to address the impact of energy use on the Earth’s climate and Henry’s group is leading the way.”

Snaith’s work on perovskite materials has contributed to Oxford PV’s commercial plans for a perovskite-on-silicon tandem cell. These solar cells, which combine a layer of perovskite on top of conventional silicon, are poised to increase solar power’s practical conversion efficiency beyond 30% in the next decade.

“Professor Snaith’s research is not only at the forefront of science but, as this award recognizes, his practical, commercial approach means that it stands to enormously benefit society in very real terms,” said Laura Herz, professor and associate head for research for the Maths, Physics and Life Sciences division at Oxford. “It is a fantastic example of our research portfolio here at Oxford and I congratulate professor Snaith on this achievement.”

In March, Snaith will give a public lecture in Louisville about his winning work and achievements, trials and tribulations. He will receive the Conn Prize medal and $50,000 award at a formal ceremony.

“The University of Louisville celebrates professor Snaith’s research and clear efforts toward improving our world through technology,” said UofL Interim President Lori Stewart Gonzalez, who will confer the award. “Energy generation from renewables is a defining global challenge. Dr. Snaith’s work renders renewable energy more competitive, reliable and accessible.”

The UofL prize is named for the late daughter of Hank and Rebecca Conn, who are university alumni, supporters and the prize benefactors.

“Henry Snaith is transforming the field of solar energy generation,” Hank Conn said. “It is exciting to celebrate a scientist with the fortitude, patience and resiliency to endure technology commercialization into the marketplace, where impact occurs. That recognition is Leigh Ann’s lasting legacy through the prize.”

Nominations for the 2023 Leigh Ann Conn Prize competition close Dec. 31. Criteria and instructions are found at . For more information, contact Andrew Marsh at 502-852-8597 or LeighAnnConnPrize@louisville.edu.

The startup, , plans to use the new funding — via a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy and $1 million in angel investment — to further their copper-based paste technology, called CuBert, invented and patented at UofL. The paste can replace silver components currently used in solar panels, making them less expensive to manufacture.��

“Silver is a huge issue for the industry because the price volatility and there may not be enough to produce the amount of solar panels needed,” said Thad Druffel, theme leader for solar manufacturing R&D at UofL’s . “We can solve it by changing one simple ingredient.”

Druffel invented the technology with former post-doctoral research associate, Ruvini Dharmadasa, and now is CEO of Bert Thin Films.��

According to , purchasing and installing a solar panel system can cost between $15,000 and $25,000, making them a big investment for people and companies wanting to reduce their carbon footprint. Druffel believes that by replacing silver components with CuBert paste, manufacturers can reduce their production costs significantly, which would reduce the cost to consumers.

With reduced costs, Druffel said, solar panels could become a more accessible and economical choice for consumers. According to the , opting for renewable energy sources, like solar power, can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution.

The company plans to use the new funding to further de-risk the technology for the manufacturers. The Department of Energy grant, received in late 2021, is part of meant to help integrate clean energy sources into the U.S. electrical grid.��

The technology suite was patented through the UofL Office of Research and Innovation’s intellectual property and technology transfer arm, . The university supports its startups through , which works to make connections between entrepreneurs, funders and UofL-born intellectual property.��

“We love to see UofL startups succeed, and we’re very proud of Bert Thin Films for this recent funding,” said Will Metcalf, an associate vice president for research and innovation who leads UofL New Ventures. “The technology Bert Thin Films is commercializing has the potential to make a big impact in engineering a future economy driven by new energy materials and manufacturing processes.”

The event, the largest solar decathlon competition for international universities, featured 14 international teams and took place Oct. 20 to Nov. 21 at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park. Over the last 2 years, teams designed and built high energy-efficiency, grid-connected, solar-powered houses, which were set up together in a public showcase village during the World Expo.

UofL teamed up with Higher Colleges of Technology, American University of Sharjah and American University in Dubai to form “.” The team fused talents of faculty, staff and students from all four universities to design, build and compete with a state-of-the-science 1,000-square-foot house. UofL’s spearheaded this effort to promote the use of renewables, create the energy efficient house and involve over 10 faculty and 70 students in the international cooperative effort.

Each university provided expertise in engineering, architecture, water conservation and treatment, and project management during the design phase. Teams were challenged to work collaboratively to meet the competition deliverables, which included innovative engineering and architectural designs, construction management, and promotional media, websites and videos.

The students worked side by side with their professors and each other to transform designs and theories into fully functional solar-powered homes based on the competition’s seven pillars: sustainability, future, innovation, clean energy, mobility, smart solutions and happiness. GE Appliances/Haier was one of the sponsors that made it possible for the team to travel to the competition. As such, the Team Desert Phoenix house featured Haier washer and dryer units and a top-mount refrigerator.

“This project enabled broad exposure for Conn Center for Renewable Energy Research and University of Louisville in UAE and the Middle East,” said Professor , director of the Conn Center. “Through this effort, many universities in the region have a greater appreciation for the University of Louisville’s faculty and students in terms of the quality and academic leadership. We created an impactful experience while fostering future collaborations and exchanges, especially for those interested in our and ��programs.”

Cole Kidwell, a sophomore electrical engineering major, said the experience of working in a multi-disciplinary, international team was a reward in itself. Kidwell was inspired by getting to work with people from around the world toward a common goal.

“The experiential learning is invaluable,” Kidwell said. “Specifically in my field, we are taught to design and analyze solar systems. By participating from design through construction, testing and operation, I understand how all the parts work together in a more tangible way. I learned firsthand about power distribution in a solar-powered home, but also how teamwork is needed to realize every project.”

Grace Bank, a master’s degree student in structural engineering, appreciated the experience of working together as a team.��

“We would not have succeeded in completing the home without working together. I gained experience in communication, teamwork and maintaining a positive environment under pressure. I also enjoyed figuring out real-life situations in a foreign culture,” Bank said. “Most of the issues we encountered are not presented in the classroom and can be more challenging to solve than the hardest equations we learn. Struggling helped me take a step back, evaluate the situation, and decide the next move to make. Nothing could be predicted, so it was nerve wracking and thrilling at the same time.”

Bank said the students came together under the stress of the build phase, when they learned to work in a “real-world situation with a real-world budget,” while getting the house constructed on time and competing. Overcoming project management challenges also created a bond for the team.

“Team Desert Phoenix was recruited late into the competition, had a full year less time to design and complete our home,” Kidwell said. “We rose to the challenge, including maintaining a rigorous, virtual, international presence with teammates in UAE. Our team worked very well together to overcome because we had a large student presence on site that was not afraid to put in manual labor and long hours to see the project to its finish. I am very proud to have been a part of a team with this level of determination.”

Out of eight teams that completed their projects, Desert Phoenix took place in the competition. The UofL students and faculty were in Dubai for about two weeks in November for the last part of the build phase and the competition phase. In addition to competing, the UofL group was also able to tour Dubai’s buildings and beaches.��

“Our biggest accomplishment was definitely finishing the house,” said Ximena Flores, a sophomore chemical engineering major who was part of the team. “This opportunity also introduced me to the Conn Center in a capacity that I had not known before. I look forward to potentially working on future Conn Center projects.”����

, the U.S. Consul General in Dubai, was one of the dignitaries who toured the house. She noted UofL as the competition’s sole U.S. participant and emphasized the partnerships with the American Universities in Dubai. The Counsel General expressed her pride in the students, their teamwork and the house at a time when sustainability bears on mitigating climate change.

Also on the Desert Phoenix team was Klemmer Nicodemus, chemical engineer and UofL undergraduate researcher, W. Mark McGinley, professor of civil and environmental engineering in the Speed School, and Andrew Marsh, assistant director for Conn Center.

“The logistic agility required to perform in this competition is intense,” said Marsh. “The solar decathlon experience challenges students to rise to the speed of business. To succeed, they must apply knowledge from the classroom yet bring focus as resilient people. We are incredibly pleased with the performance of the entire team, especially the commitment and leadership shown by students from UofL.”

The startup, BioProducts LLC, took the top spot at the competition, backed by the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development and others.

The goal was to find innovative solutions for using distilling byproducts. According to the competition website, about 10 gallons of byproduct are generated for every gallon of bourbon produced.

BioProducts is built around UofL-patented technology that gives those distillery byproducts new life, for example, as a low-calorie sugar substitute and as specialized activated carbon suitable for a number of high-performance applications, particularly lithium ion batteries.��

For the pitch competition, BioProducts teamed with Louisville-based C&I Engineering Inc. to present how the integrated technology could be applied at different types and sizes of distilleries. And, said UofL’s Jagannadh Satyavolu, who helped invent the technology and later founded the company, how this process could create activated carbon that’s more cost-effective and sustainable.

“Using this technology — invented in Kentucky and for one of Kentucky’s signature industries — we can take this otherwise waste material and turn it into a game-changer,” he said. “This could help make distilling more sustainable, reduce pollution and much more.”

The technology was invented by Satyavolu at��UofL’s Conn Center for Renewable Energy Research in collaboration with Michael Nantz and his team in the UofL chemistry department.

BioProducts holds an exclusive license through , which handles intellectual property resulting from university research and helps forge partnerships with companies��for commercialization.��

“We feel we are the right team at the right time to solve this challenge,” said Cliff Speedy, C&I Engineering’s executive director of projects.

Because they won the pitch competition, the BioProducts team received an engraved bourbon barrel lid and will now present to 500-some distillery professionals at the James B. Beam Institute Industry Conference in March 2022.

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The five separate renewable power agreements were filed through the Kentucky Public Service Commission and were the result of each organization’s participation in LG&E and KU’s Green Tariff Option Three. Approved in 2019, the utilities’ Green Tariff rolls the LG&E and KU Green Energy and Business Solar programs under one tariff, providing a third option for customers – the renewable power agreement. This offering is a part of LG&E and KU’s continuing effort to enhance sustainable energy options for residential, commercial and industrial consumers within the commonwealth. It also fits into UofL’s sustainability initiatives.

Recently named the most sustainable university in Kentucky, UofL aims to honor the Carbon Commitment re-signed by President Neeli Bendapudi in August by undertaking various sustainable initiatives. In additional to various institutional efforts, also offers a variety of events and learning opportunities for faculty, staff and students interested in furthering sustainability at the university.

“At the University of Louisville, we take seriously our commitment to integrate sustainability into everything we do,” Bendapudi said. “Through this contract, more than 30% of the energy at our Belknap Campus and over 15% of UofL’s total electricity demand will be met by solar power. This alone will cut our greenhouse gas emissions by another 9% from 2020 levels, advancing our efforts to shrink the university’s carbon footprint to zero by 2050.”

The 125-megawatt solar facility, expected to be operational in 2025, will be one of the largest solar projects undertaken in Kentucky. As a state largely associated with nonrenewable energy sources, the RPAs and construction of the new solar facility demonstrates a substantial commitment to clean, sustainable energy by some of the commonwealth’s most prominent companies and educational institutions.

Based on the agreements, the utilities will supply UK with 44% of the facility’s energy output, the biggest portion of its generation. North American Stainless will be served with 36% output from the facility. The University of Louisville and The Chemours Company will each be supplied with 8% of the generation. Dow, which has already committed to receiving 25% of the energy output from a separate facility as part of a 2020 RPA, will receive 4% of the output from this newest facility.

“UofL is committed to integrating sustainability into everything we do, from how we manage our facilities, finances and people to what we teach in the classroom and what we research in the lab,” said Justin Mog, assistant to the provost for sustainability initiatives. “At UofL, everyone has a role to play in making our university more sustainable and tackling the existential threat posed by the global climate crisis.”

The supports promising early-career faculty who are potential role models in research and education. The award is $500,000 spread over five years, and��Spurgeon is one of only a handful of non-faculty recipients.

“I’m thrilled,” said Spurgeon, theme leader for solar fuels at . “These grants are so competitive, and this is huge for me.”��

Spurgeon’s work at UofL centers on hydrogen fuels, which he can make with just water and sunlight. With this award, he hopes to lower the cost of that method to make solar hydrogen more competitive with hydrogen derived from fossil fuels.

“We’re targeting the intersection between high-efficiency and low-cost,” he said. “The goal is to make clean, green, renewable fuel accessible.”��

The basic idea is to separate water, or H₂O, into hydrogen and oxygen using photocatalysts, which cause chemical reactions when exposed to sunlight. Spurgeon places the photocatalyst in the water, shines sunlight on it, and boom — potent, energy-dense hydrogen fuel.��

The problem, he said, is that this method is currently more expensive than fossil fuels because it relies on a combination of expensive commercial photovoltaic and electrolysis equipment. Spurgeon’s CAREER Award research will seek to lower the cost by integrating all of those components into a single semiconductor particle, making the whole process more cost-effective.��

“This would enable low-cost solar energy storage and sustainable fuel production,” said Mahendra Sunkara, director of the UofL Conn Center. “Such a technology could revolutionize the energy industry and greatly expand the energy independence of the United States.”

You can check out some of Spurgeon’s technologies and��

In addition to the research component, Spurgeon also will use his award to help build and develop a new master’s degree at the J.B. Speed School of Engineering focused on renewable energy and materials. He also plans to help underrepresented undergraduate students secure research internships and help final-year graduate students with their entrepreneurial and commercialization efforts.��

“Dr. Spurgeon is pursuing truly ground-breaking work that can broadly impact fields as diverse as transportation and utilities,” said Robert S. Keynton, Interim Executive Vice President for Research and Innovation. “We’re very proud of his accomplishment and his contributions to research and innovation at UofL.”��

Including Spurgeon’s, UofL researchers have received 21 total NSF CAREER Awards totaling some $7.1 million.

Industrial hemp and marijuana are two different strains of the Cannabis sativa plant. Industrial hemp seeds and leaves contain very low levels of delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive agent in Cannabis.

Industrial hemp is a highly renewable resource with applications for food, medicine, chemicals and energy. Stalks, seeds, flowers and oils all have potential uses with established markets.

“Hemp research for renewable energy technologies is highly useful for local and regional industry, even those not related to renewables,” said Mahendra Sunkara, director of Conn Center. “The theme of our biomass work is that we do not let anything go to waste.”

Conn Center scientists and engineers have harvested about 2,000 pounds of hemp and kenaf since the project began in anticipation of industrial hemp’s legalization in Kentucky. The UofL crop is one of eight at Kentucky colleges and universities grown as part of the state’s pilot program into field-scale industrial hemp, but the only one being used for energy research.

“Our students and faculty really enjoy working on this initiative,” said biology professor Mark Running, a faculty member of Conn Center contributing plant development expertise. “The opportunity to work on a timely challenge to improve our economy and society is exciting.”

“The growing plants have been embraced by students at UofL, who frequent the hemp patches next to the Eastern Parkway viaduct for selfies,” said Andrew Marsh, assistant director of the Conn Center. “We appreciate how passionately people support legalization and exploration of hemp as a renewable resource while also bumping up their Insta game.”

The Conn Center fosters the development of transformational concepts and accelerates transition from lab to pre-commercial scale. The center maintains unique, state-of-the-art facilities for advancing scalable manufacturing R&D of solar, energy storage, biofuels, value-added chemicals and energy efficiency solutions.����������������������������������

The planting is to demonstrate “energy crops” at the center’s Phoenix House office and living laboratory. These crops support biofuels research at the Conn Center utilizing Kentucky-grown plants as part of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s Industrial Hemp Research Pilot Program.

For 2017, Center researchers are looking at specific ways hemp and a fiber plant native to east-central Africa, can fulfill energy needs, define new markets and be a source for drop-in replacement for fibers, biofuels and other chemical production. Kenaf and hemp are highly adaptable to Kentucky and are being evaluated as a high yield, industrially relevant economic development resource.

“The Conn Center continues to examine the potential for unusual answers to renewable energy questions,” said Greg Postel, interim president of UofL. “The University of Louisville takes pride in the ability of our faculty and researchers to innovate using local resources for the good of the state. It gives people hope for the future.”

theme leader for biofuels and biomass conversion at Conn Center, is working with , assistant professor of chemical engineering in the Speed School, and undergraduate and graduate students to find uses for hurd, the inner core of the hemp plant stem, which is a by-product after the outer fibers of the hemp are removed. Hurd has potential for use in fuels, chemicals and polymers.

“We’ve been amazed at this research direction,” said Hank Conn, center benefactor and board member. “So many people have expressed their support, particularly the students. They really see the vast potential of industrial hemp and related crops for providing a revitalized economy that could be unprecedented for the state. Inspiring future generations is what we have always hoped to do.”

Support for this program comes from Hank and Rebecca Conn, who recognize the value of the center’s research to stimulate the bioeconomy. Currently, the Conn Center is pursuing three hemp-to-energy directions:

• Convert hemp into high value, functionalized carbons, with applications such as catalyst supports and energy storage media
• Transform hemp seed oil into biocompatible resins for 3-D printed medical implants
• Extract sugars from hemp and convert them into diesel additives and other valuable chemicals

These projects include four faculty and four student and post-doctoral researchers. In less than a year, their work has resulted in two invention disclosures with patents and publications to follow.

More about the planting is available in the video below:��