The University is gearing up to participate in the ACC Clean Energy Challenge. Two organizations from campus, the Entrepreneurship Initiative and the FREEDM Systems Center will be working together for this challenge.
The challenge is part of the Obama administration’s campaign to promote entrepreneurship. The U.S . Department of Energy has awarded $2 million to six regions throughout the U.S . in an effort to create nationwide, student-focused clean energy business plans over the next three years. It is open to all schools in the Southeast region as well as other ACC universities. Some non-ACC universities are also participating through an online competition.
The goal is to use the competitive nature of collegiate sports to fuel innovative clean energy research and entrepreneurship programs. Each school is encouraged to hold their own Clean Energy Challenge and choose the best business plans from the participating students and organizations to take to the regional and national finals.
The University of Maryland’s Dean Chang and Kim Wallace head the Southeast region. The university was awarded $360,000 for the competition.
Other Southeast region participants include Duke University, UNC Chapel Hill, Wake Forest University, Virginia Tech and the University of Virginia. There are a total of 11 schools participating from the Southeast region.
15 teams will compete in the Southeast regional finals, which will be held in College Park, MD during April 2012. This will be narrowed down to six teams by April 25.
On April 25, there will be a final round open to the public and an award ceremony. Winners and selected runners-up from the school competitions will be invited to showcase their ideas at the ACC expo in 2012.
One of the groups involved from campus is the Entrepreneurship Initiative, an organization that provides students with opportunities and resources for entrepreneurship.
“We are extremely excited to have this opportunity for our entrepreneurial students to respond to this challenge. The Entrepreneurship Initiative’s Garage and network of mentors, combined with the FREEDM Systems Center’s people and research facilities, will position N.C . State to do very well in this competition,” Tom Miller, executive director of the Entrepreneurship Initiative, said.
According to Megan Greer, a representative from the Entrepreneurship Initiative, there are no students currently involved with their side of the project as it is still in its early stages.
In the second year of the grant, the Southeast region schools will be hosting the challenge in Research Triangle Park. The national grand prize competition will be held in Washington, DC in 2012.
