Energy Efficiency

Assessment

CSU’s Industrial Assessment Program has been the leader in efficiency outreach through a 20-year program of energy assessment and industrial process improvements. In FY2005 and FY2006 alone, the Industrial Assessment Program visited 39 manufacturing plants in Colorado, New Mexico, North Dakota, and Wyoming. The total savings from the 312 opportunities identified totaled $4.067 million, resulting in an average savings of about $104,000/yr per plant.

 

Battery Technology

Advanced battery technology research at CSU such Prieto battery are focusing on nanoscale solutions to the cathode, anode, and supporting electrolyte components of a battery.

 

Distributed Power Generation Research Center

The Distributed Power Generation Research Center in the Department of Mechanical Engineering in the College of Engineering is the first center of its kind in the nation. Researchers in the lab are developing a low-emissions, high-efficiency engine that could improve the reliability of the electrical grid.

Efficient Engines

CSU researchers improve the efficiency of internal combustion engines for vehicles and industrial processes through studies on ignition and combustion.

Energy Efficiency

Two areas where CSU research may have a large impact is on the generation of electricity and the development of high-efficiency vehicle technology. CSU researchers are working to reduce electricity unit loss by increasing the efficiency of electricity generation and transmission. CSU research on batteries for hybrid electric vehicles and hydrogen storage techniques can help achieve the goal of increasing miles per gallon and the reduction of CO2 emissions.

Fuel Injection Technology

CSU’s Engines and Energy Conversion Laboratory has developed fuel injection technology for pipeline engines that is responsible for preventing 100 million pounds of pollution (NO & NO2) and has saved over 2.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas.

Institute for the Built Environment

CSU’s Institute for the Built Environment is an interdisciplinary research institute that engages faculty and industry partners in healthy and sustainable building issues including energy efficient construction, integration of clean energy technologies and sustainable built environments.

National Center for Vehicle Emissions Control and Safety

The National Center for Vehicle Emissions Control and Safety (NCVECS) conducts research and training associated with new clean automotive technology.

Smart Grid Technology

The Engines and Energy Conversion Laboratory’s Grid Simulation Laboratory has the world’s only megawatt-scale physical grid simulation capability. Here, researchers test “smart grids,” which are new ways to connect electrical generators and users to increase the efficiency and reliability of the electrical grid in large, complex distributed power systems.