Powerhouse Energy Institute
As one of the 12 centers located at the Powerhouse Energy Campus the Center for the New Energy Economy campus location is at 430 N. College Avenue, Fort Collins, Colorado. The Powerhouse Energy Campus is operated by the Energy Institute at Colorado State University
“We’re happy to join the institute – we believe that co-locating energy policy staff with energy technologists will spur greater innovation for both groups,” said Gov. Bill Ritter, director of the CSU’s Center for the New Energy Economy.
The expansion and institute model will allow for greater collaboration between CSU energy faculty across all eight colleges and ensure broad access to new facilities for faculty and industry partners. The institute will be organized through the Office of Vice President for Research, ensuring university-wide access to facilities and supporting the interdisciplinary work that will occur through the Institute.
“The expansion and creation of the Institute follows the successful model used at CSU in infectious disease research which combines faculty, a Supercluster, physical lab space and an incubator. Powerhouse will replicate this ecosystem for the energy space at CSU,” said Bill Farland, former CSU Vice President for Research.
Bohemian, Woodward major contributors
Funded by private donations, including sizeable donations from Bohemian Foundation and Woodward, Inc., the EECL is able to not only expand its physical location but also their programmatic reach. The donations – $5 million from the Bohemian Foundation and $2.5 million from Woodward, Inc. – reflect the strength of both companies’ longstanding partnership with the EECL and CSU, and interest in fostering innovation in Colorado.
“The Bohemian Foundation is contributing to this expansion in recognition of the extraordinary efforts the EECL has led globally to improve the human condition and their commitment to grow these programs in the future,” said Joe Zimlich, Bohemian Foundation board member and CEO of Bohemian Companies. “We’re proud to help researchers and students at Colorado State University have a positive impact around the world.”
“Woodward supports the EECL because it complements our mission as a clean energy leader,” said Tom Gendron, chairman and chief executive officer of Woodward. Woodward is a Fort Collins-based company focused on accurately and precisely controlling energy by integrating its technology into systems that improve emissions performance, reliability, and fuel efficiency, and helping to ensure a better environment.
“The students we have hired from the EECL are prepared to succeed because of the lab’s culture of innovation, and have experience solving real-world, global engineering challenges,” Gendron said.
As the building takes shape over the next year and a half, the EECL will continue to design the programmatic growth, but will also continue fundraising through 2014. Much of the effort to date has been a private capital campaign that includes additional support from the Downtown Development Authority and the Gates Family Foundation. A public fundraising campaign will now launch to generate the support needed to complete the building.
Creating sustainable, energy efficient building
Completed in 2014, The Powerhouse Energy Campus transformed the 1930’s Municipal Power Plant, into a 5-acre site housing the CSU Energy Institute. The new building added to the original power plant facility created a nearly 100,000 square-foot LEED Platinum Certified research complex known as the Powerhouse Energy Campus. The expansion to the existing EECL facility added approximately 65,000 square-foot of innovative laboratory, office, meeting, classroom and business incubator space, distributed over four stories. The new addition features geothermal caissons, active daylight harvesting, 100% solid state lighting, a 24V DC microgrid, advanced metering, advanced controls with weather prediction, thermal mass, high efficiency skin (windows, insulation and exterior cladding), hydronic heating and cooling, as well as solar/wind/combined heat and power energy generation.
The building represents a new model of collaborative space that fosters interaction and cooperation among researchers, departments, partners and sponsors, combining efforts to grow the impact, reach, and reputation of energy education and research at Colorado State University.
