Cockrell School faculty and students are working with members of Pecan Street Project, a smart grid research and development organization headquartered at the University of Texas. Members of the project include Pecan Street Project Executive Director Brewster McCracken and, (l-r), UT professors Suzanne Barber, Ross Baldick, Arumugam "Ram" Manthiram and Thomas Edgar. Not pictured are professors Alexis Kwasinski and Michael Webber.
Less than 16 months since beginning active operations, Pecan Street Project Inc. announced earlier this week that its direct funding of research, education and technology commercialization at The University of Texas at Austin has topped $3 million.
More than 20 researchers within the Cockrell School of Engineering have been involved with the project since its inception in December 2008 as a leading sustainable energy research partnership between the university, Austin Energy, the City of Austin and high-tech companies, among others, that's aimed at reinventing how we get and use energy.
Their research will help develop the project's testing ground, a 700-acre mix of homes and businesses known as the Mueller development in east Austin, into a green community whose smart grid could one day be used on a broader scale around the nation.
The latest UT research funding by Pecan Street Project – a $189,000, three-year award to fund smart grid water and natural gas research by Mechanical Engineering Assistant Professor Michael Webber – brings the university's total funding from Pecan Street Project to $3,163,800. The funding covers the period 2010 through 2014 and, of it, more than $1.37 million will pay for research assistantships and tuition for graduate students.
"This funding milestone reflects the significant contribution that University of Texas faculty are making to provide funding and educational opportunity to our students," said Gregory L. Fenves, dean of the Cockrell School of Engineering. "Our faculty members and students working with Pecan Street Project are carrying out nationally important energy research that will have a strong impact on the energy situation in Texas. We are proud of UT's role in founding Pecan Street Project and in guiding its research mission."
Pecan Street Project is also providing direct research funding to eight engineering faculty members from five departments and the Center for Electromechanics, led by principal investigator and chemical engineering Professor Tom Edgar.
"Our research team members from UT are carrying out cutting-edge smart grid, building system and clean energy research," said Pecan Street Project Inc. Executive Director Brewster McCracken. "The talent, commitment and technical excellence of these students and faculty are making an enormous contribution to our customer-focused applied research."
The funding that Pecan Street Project uses to support UT faculty and students is made possible by the financial support of private sector companies on its Industry Advisory Council as well as from research grants from the U.S. Department of Energy and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. Pecan Street Project receives no funding from state or local government sources.
In addition to its direct funding of UT students, researchers and technology commercialization efforts, Pecan Street Project also sponsors a one-year post-graduate fellowship for a recent UT graduate. The post-graduate fellow is one of Pecan Street Project's seven employees and the student’s salary is not included in the $3.16 million figure. The first post-graduate fellow, Chris Holcomb, began full-time employment on April 1. His research focuses on disaggregation of home energy management systems data.
The university has also leveraged its leadership in Pecan Street Project to win an additional $3.07 million in funding from the National Science Foundation for students to participate in Pecan Street Project-focused smart grid research. This brings UT’s total funding awards arising from its involvement in Pecan Street Project to over $6 million.
