Strategic Energy Research
Increasing Efficiency/Mitigating Environmental Impact
Research Topics:
Building Technologies
- Affiliated Faculty & Researchers
Georgia Tech faculty members are addressing the challenges of reducing energy consumption and achieving sustainable energy structures for society's future. Exploring new technologies to enhance energy efficiency for incorporation into buildings is an essential component of future residential and commercial structure design. Collaborative efforts, such as the Building Ecology and Emerging Technologies Program, are one way in which a new cadre of experts in building for energy efficiency is growing.
Carbon Management
- Affiliated Faculty & Researchers
Georgia Tech is addressing growing concern over carbon cycle issues and climate trends through the development and deployment of new technologies in carbon management. Georgia Tech researchers are investigating whether greenhouse warming is causing a global increase in hurricane intensity, ocean-atmosphere interactions, modeling the carbon cycle, and determining climate trends. Other technology focus areas include carbon capture and sequestration related to power generation. Our researchers are working with major industry partners to discover and refine new processes for eliminating the threat of climate change from carbon dioxide emissions.
Combustion Processes
- Affiliated Faculty & Researchers
The internal combustion engine emits pollutants as a by-product of the combustion process, producing smog, acid rain, and potentially, global climate change. Georgia Tech is meeting the challenge to improve combustion processes and efficiencies. Research efforts have focused on low emission combustors, improving the performance of liquid rockets and investigating the control of combustion processes in power generating gas turbines and jet engines that will result in the reduction of fuel consumed, fewer emissions, and reduced energy costs.
Affiliated Research Centers
Gasification
- Affiliated Faculty & Researchers
Rather than burning coal or biomass directly, gasification breaks down resources such as coal or wood into basic chemical components. Researchers at Georgia Tech are exploring the implications for future energy production using gasification because of its potential to burn hotter and cleaner than conventional resources, providing more efficient and environmentally friendly forms of energy production.
Lighting Technologies
- Affiliated Faculty & Researchers
Technology to improve the efficiency of electric lighting is a crucial area of research that can positively impact energy consumption. Of particular interest in this domain at Georgia Tech is research in light-emitting diodes (LED), which are low-energy light sources that can result in significant energy savings in such applications as flat panel displays, exit signs, and traffic lights. The potential for further advances in this field, impacting business and residential buildings in the form of lowering the energy consumed for lighting, is significant.
Affiliated Research Centers
Power Distribution/Grid Control
- Affiliated Faculty & Researchers
Electricity demand in the U.S. is growing at a rapid pace. Growth projections, including conversion of the automotive fleet from internal combustion to electric, will increase the base load and put an even greater strain on an aging and inefficient electricity infrastructure. Georgia Tech is a world leader in electrical energy research that includes extensive laboratory facilities designed to develop and evaluate new technologies and assess all aspects of the electric energy delivery system, including unique testing at realistic utility voltage and current levels. Several areas where Georgia Tech is well positioned to make major contributions include grid stability and reliability, integration of distributed and renewable generation, power flow control, and electrified transportation.
Affiliated Research Centers
Separation Technology and Catalysis
- Affiliated Faculty & Researchers
Improvements in the efficiency and cost effectiveness of separation technologies have significant potential impact on global energy consumption. Research is underway to extend energy savings derived from reverse osmosis processes for water purification to processes involving non-aqueous feeds such as gases and hydrocarbons. At Georgia Tech, new catalysts and catalytic processes are being developed for the efficient synthesis of polymers, chemicals, and fuels. Chemical catalysts and biocatalysts are utilized for conversion of both fossil-based raw materials (coal, natural gas, crude oil) and renewable feedstocks (biomass) into chemicals and fuels.
Affiliated Research Centers
Sustainability
- Affiliated Faculty & Researchers
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- Affiliated faculty and researchers come from virtually all academic and administrative units throughout Georgia Tech.
The Georgia Tech Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems (BBISS) serves as Georgia Tech's advocate on sustainability, facilitating the development and implementation of a comprehensive agenda for enhancing curriculum, research programs, and campus management. BBISS is an alliance of research and educational centers addressing specific issues relevant to creating a more prosperous and sustainable society.
System Design and Optimization
- Affiliated Faculty & Researchers
Energy efficiency is a vital component of the nation's energy strategy, and the creation of efficient energy systems is a vital companion to efforts directed at reducing environmental pollution and at developing alternative energy sources. The development of energy-saving technologies in the residential, commercial building, transportation, and industrial sectors can significantly impact the energy equation by reducing energy output required to support these key economic areas.
Affiliated Research Centers
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