Solar Energy, Plug-in Electric Vehicles to Headline Ohio State Energy and Materials Conferences

Renewable energy opportunities and emergent materials advances will be the center of attention next week at The Ohio State University when two important energy-related meetings take place on the Columbus campus.

The Institute for Materials Research hosts the second annual IMR Materials Week Conference at the Blackwell Inn, 2110 Tuttle Park Place from Monday through Thursday (8/31-9/3). The conference will feature technical workshops and seminars by national experts in a broad range of topics including biosensors, computational materials, magnetoelectronics and photovoltaics.

Of special note is the symposium on Tuesday (9/1), focusing on photovoltaic materials and solar energy conversion. Industry representatives and nationally recognized researchers will present the impact of solar energy on the electric grid and examine the future of solar cells. Details about the Materials Week Conference can be found at http://imr.osu.edu/events/imr-materials-week

On Thursday (9/3), the Center for Automotive Research, 930 Kinnear Road, Columbus, will host “Driving to Our Energy Future: The PHEV Summit,” sponsored by Ohio State and PJM Interconnection, the regional wholesale electricity transmission organization for much of the eastern United States.

Industry experts and leading researchers in the fields of electric energy transmission and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, as well as government officials and national and State of Ohio policy makers will present their perspectives on the future of electric vehicles and their impact on the electric grid. More information on the PHEV Summit can be found at http://engineering.osu.edu/phev.

These energy conferences are just two of the five energy-related events occurring at Ohio State during the month of September. Other activities include:

• Sept. 20-22 McCormick Energy Conference: journalists from across the U.S. focus on specialized reporting on energy solutions


• Sept. 22-24 Ohio State Energy Researchers travel to Wuhan University, China for the International Forum on Water Resources and Sustainable Development


• Sept. 25 Solar Decathlon House Send-off: Ohio State’s student-designed and -built solar-powered house departs for Washington, DC to compete in challenges against 20 university teams from around the world to develop the best solar-powered house, http://solardecathlon.osu.edu


 

The Ohio State University dedicates more than 300 researchers to the nation’s quest for environmentally sustainable energy solutions that promote economic growth in Ohio and safeguard our planet. Comprehensive teams from America’s largest university build on extensive agricultural-bioscience expertise to sequester carbon, refine carbon-trading, generate cleaner, less expensive and renewable power and protect natural resources. They track the effect of climate change on water resources from retreating glaciers to rising sea levels and water tables across the globe. They are partnering with advanced materials experts to make solar energy collection even more commercially viable. And, through the nation’s oldest and most accomplished Center for Automotive Research (CAR), they are creating market viable solutions to sustainable transportation systems and devising energy technologies that increase the energy efficiency of automobiles and power plants.