- Energy Management
- Clean Energy Research
- Clean Energy Research Center
- top links
- Utility Usage & Cost Information
- Sustainability
- Clean Energy Research
- Clean Energy Research Center
- Combined Heat and Power Systems (CHP)
- Energy System Applications & Integration Lab (ESAIL)
- Geothermal Heat Pump Systems (Ground Source)
- OU Energy Flow Chart
- 2011 April - BioEnergy Conference
- 2008 May - Sustainable Project Development Workshop
- 2010 PV Manufacturing Initiative Proposal (not funded)
- Outdoor Lighting Pilot Project
- Wind Energy
- Solar Energy
- Biomass & Bio Fuels
- Environmental Impacts of Energy
- Home Energy Saving Information
- University Electrical System
Energy Management
Facilities Management Building
411 Pioneer Drive
Rochester,
MI
48309-4482
(location map)
Prospective Master students should contact the appropriate Department Office, and prospective Ph.D candidates should contact the Associate Dean's Office at (248) 370-2233 loodeen@oakland.edu.
For further information, please contact:
Jonathan Maisonneuve, Ph.D.Chris Kobus
Assoc. Professor of Mech Engineering
& Director of Engineering / Energy Education
(248) 370-2489
cjkobus@oakland.edu
Clean Energy Research Center
View information on the energy projects underway, tasks, and status. The School of Engineering and Computer Science is home to the Clean Energy Research Center, or CERC. The CERC is the home of multiple, clean energy research, development, and educational activities. The CERC fosters commercial partnerships, provides an educational platform for student research and hands-on clean energy demonstrations, while providing an entrepreneurial atmosphere within the OU R&D community to allow technology transfer and commercialization of new technologies.
Role and Services
- Technical Support to the OU INCubator (both client companies and internal OU projects)
- Energy Infrastructure Strategic Planning for both public and private entities,
- Renewable Energy Feasibility Studies,
- Energy Project Development Support,
- View a sample listing of studies and projects completed by Jim Leidel.
Mission Statement
Clean Energy Research Center (CERC) scientists, engineers and collaborators are conducting and demonstrating applied research and facilitating private sector investment to achieve a 40% energy reduction in existing industrial, commercial and institutional buildings in the Southeast Michigan tri-county region. The CERC effort will deliver energy efficiency solutions, innovation and new clean energy jobs today while providing significant natural resource, environmental and economic impact by 2020. The CERC is uniquely situated in the heart of the innovative Automation Ally, within the counties of Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne which comprise 40% of the State’s population and a majority of the State’s economic activity.
Description of the ProblemDuring the 20th century, energy efficiency of our cars, trains, planes and factory floors have systematically improved. However, during the past forty years the energy efficiency of our building stock has not improved. Buildings consume about 40% of the nation’s energy. Here in Michigan, this equates to about $12 billion in energy costs, much of which flows out of the State, to other parts of the U.S. and to foreign countries. Multiple projects have been completed or are in various stages of development. The projects will research and demonstrate technologies in energy efficient buildings, solar, combined heat and power (CHP), biomass, and wind energy. Click here for OU & US Energy Flow Diagrams




- Geothermal heat pump research and demonstrations
- Smart grid / smart metering demonstrations
- LED and emerging lighting technologies
- Solar thermal systems
- Solar PV systems
- Biomass heating and biomass CHP systems
- On?site solid fuel biomass densification lab
- On?site biodiesel production lab
- On?site ethanol production lab
ENERGY EFFICIENT TECHNOLOGIES
- Combined heat and power applications
- Green building design
- Geothermal heat pump systems
- LED and emerging lighting technologies
- Smart grid applications
- Energy storage
- demand control
- smart metering and energy information systems
PROJECT DEVELOPMENT
- Project finance
- Performance based energy contracts
- Michigan SAVES
- Third party - power purchase agreements
- Grants and incentives
- Community project development and finance
Utilization of various biomass resources such as:
- Agricultural wastes
- Energy crop research for the Michigan climate (such as willow) (and various grasses)
- Urban and industrial woody wastes or other biomass wastes
- Industrial co-products (such as biodiesel crude glycerin)
Using various processes:
- Densification of biomass for improved handling and logistics
- Direct combustion
- Co-firing in existing coal boilers
- Bio-chemical conversion
- Thermo-chemical conversion
- Gasification
- Torrefaction
- Pyrolysis / Liquifaction
To produce various forms of useful energy or products
- Bio-Power
- combined heat and power application with a steam boiler / turbine
- synthetic gas or oil produced to run an IC engine or combustion turbine
- Densified biomass products (such as wood pellets)
- Torrefied biomass products
Further Reading and Research into Biomass:
- Agricultural Utilization Research Institute (AURI) of Minnesota
- US Department of Energy Biomass Program
- Wood Gas Publications
- Gasification 101 - Victory Gasworks (Thanks Ben!)
- Experimental Gasifier and Gasification Basics
SOLAR ENERGY
- Thermal systems
- District energy systems
- Energy storage
- Thermally activated technologies
- Desiccant dehumidification
- Absorbsion / adsorbsion chilling
- Organic Rankin cycle electricity
- Photovoltaics
- Thin film PV development
- Building integration
- Hybrid combined PV / thermal systems
WIND ENERGY
- Wind energy resource assessment
- Low wind speed wind turbines
- Tall towers
30 MW Solar Electric Generating Station near Kramer Junction, California
Wind Turbines on east shore of Lake Ontario, Ontario, Canada
BioEnergy Conference (April 2011)
Wind & Biomass Project Development Conference (May 2008)
PV Manufacturing Initiative Proposal (Oct 2010)
Green Buildings - Geo / Solar Thermal
Wind and Biomass Options for OU
(1st half discusses wind, 2nd half is biomass)
Wind Energy Information
Midwest CHP Application Center
LED Lighting Technologies
Michigan Solid State Lighting Assoc.