Ellington

Could UTC help change the world with just a silver box? It’s certainly possible. Graduate students with the UTC SimCenter: National Center for Computational Engineering provided the academic research and testing for Bloom Energy Corporation’s Bloom Box, a technology on the cutting edge of alternative energy.

Able to fit in a standard-sized parking space, the silver box is likea freestanding power plant, capable of providing 100 kilowatts of power utilizing solid oxide fuel cells. While the technology may be difficult to understand, the benefits are easy to see: clean energy that is economically viable. Because few people can claim they’ve worked with this technology, the project lends instant street cred to UTC students in the national jobmarket.

The first 100kW server installed in the Southeast—on the rooftop of Electric Power Board (EPB)— represents a partnership between UTC SimCenter, EP B, TVA and Bloom Energy Corporation that dates back to 2006. Corporations such as Wal-Mart, FedEx and Google are hopping on board with this clean energy technology.

Bloom Energy isn’t the only company benefiting from UTC’s SimCenter. Using complex computer simulations, the center saved U.S. Express millions of dollars by reducing wind resistance for its fleet of trucks. NASA and the U.S. Navy have also contracted with the center. UTC is helping to solve future energy problems with its work on smart grid technology, which will allow utilities to closely match power generation to consumption while also integrating alternative energy sources. As the only university in Tennessee to receive a Department of Energy grant for this national effort, UTC’s College of Engineering and Computer Science was awarded $2.4 million to help train the work force needed to implement the crucial technology.

As the nation’s power grid ages —and our insatiable hunger for electricitygrows— smart grid and alternative energy technology are quickly becoming hot button issues. While you may not give much thought to what happens when you flip a switch, be grateful there’s a Moc who does.