Michigan Breaks Ground for NextEnegy Center

Eye For Fuel Cells ^ | 11 December 2002 | Eye For Fuel Cells

[Chemist_Geek]

December 11, 2002–- Michigan kicked off its long awaited NextEnergy Center yesterday at Wayne State University's Technology Park in Detroit. Groundbreaking ceremonies herald NextEnergy as Michigan's centerpiece for high-tech development and alternative energy research, education, development and manufacturing.

Governor John Engler, Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, Wayne State University President, Dr. Irvin Reid and George W. Jackson, President of the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation were present for the ceremonies.

The new project, which includes a 40,000 square-foot facility, will incorporate the latest technology in the building's electrical and heating and cooling systems. The facility's power grid will include the use of fuel cells, advanced combustion engines, clean burning Sterling Engines, as well as Photovoltaics and advanced solar systems. The building will also house a laboratory, conference room, product demonstration area, office space and exhibition area.

"This state-of-the-art facility will be the heart of a cluster of activity to meet worldwide demands for more reliable and environmentally-friendly energy products," said Governor John Engler.

[Doctor Stochastic]

Will it be too cheap to meter?

[MonroeDNA]

Another experiment, destined to go the way of Gary, In.

[hinckley buzzard]

Taft is attempting to establish one of these things in Ohio too. State governments imagining themselves as planting the seeds of the future "Silicon Valley" of the hydrogen era. We'll see.

[Chemist_Geek]

Will it be too cheap to meter?

Dunno about that, but, there's no meter on the sunlight we receive. Gotta figure out how to convert that energy into a more useful (to us) form...

Ping to the Michigan Freepers...

[Chemist_Geek]

Taft is attempting to establish one of these things in Ohio too. State governments imagining themselves as planting the seeds of the future "Silicon Valley" of the hydrogen era. We'll see.

Yes, but there are two reasons this is good. First off, when non-fossil fuel powerplants are developed, it had better be Americans doing the development and not the, say, Chinese. Secondly, since we're going to have state Universities, it's better for them to be spending money doing potentially useful research like this rather than cooking up a program in "feminist dance symbology" or somesuch squishy so-called "science" nonsense.

[Chemist_Geek]

Another experiment, destined to go the way of Gary, In.

This is in Detroit. It can only get better. Gary has nothing on us here...

Full disclosure: I did my grad school at Wayne. Scary few years, for many reasons...

[rintense]

It will be very interesting to watch this progress, especially with the proximity to the auto industry and unions. I'm very encouraged about the use of fuel cells actually- the only good thing to come out of that highly touted and utterly failed 'IT' invention.