NSF Engines Development Award: Advancing clean energy technologies in the Piedmont region to Generate Innovative New Economic Systems (NC, SC)

NSF发动机发展奖的重点是清洁能源(CE)资源技术，包括陆上和海上风能、太阳能、清洁氢气、海洋能源，以及支持它们与电网集成的电能输送和存储系统。利用合作伙伴组织的创造力、研究和开发专业知识、基础设施和专业网络，该项目将通过受使用启发的研究和技术创造、转化为实践和劳动力发展，使卡罗莱纳州可再生能源盆地的社区受益，从而促进区域经济发展。该项目的活动将支持卡罗莱纳州在2050年实现净碳中和电网的CE改造。这一生态系统将通过教育和在知识驱动的经济中典型的高薪工作就业所带来的向上经济流动性，导致更公正和公平的财富分配。服务区域集中在夏洛特。它包括北卡罗来纳州和南卡罗来纳州的皮埃蒙特和海岸平原，重点关注这两个州的东部地区，特别是东南黑带。该地区是该国新兴CE经济的最具代表性的地区，通过现有的重大无碳电力生产和发明、设计、建造和制造CE技术的能力。该项目由北卡罗来纳大学夏洛特分校领导，由来自高等教育、行业、政府和财团/社区组织的目前已确定的和有抱负的合作伙伴组成的多元化联盟。该NSF发动机开发奖将加快受使用启发的研究，以提高与可再生能源(太阳能、风能和海洋)和智能电网技术相关的众多产品的竞争力，这些产品是整合CE大幅增长所需的。成功后，未来的NSF发动机将为清洁氢气开发颠覆性技术，作为第二个能源载体，以支持东南部的氢气公司集群。该项目将通过无处不在的多样性、公平、包容性和可获得性(DEIA)文化，与该地区经济困难的社区进行接触。与北卡罗来纳州立大学协调的创新劳动力培养活动将有助于为知识经济中具有竞争力的社区做好准备，这将迅速增长CE生产。发展奖将通过四个重点支持这些活动：(1)CE地区科技专长的创新清单；(2)CE创新和制造业的劳动力发展；(3)Deia文化的展示；以及(4)导致有效领导团队的组织活动和过渡到未来NSF项目初级阶段的路线图。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This NSF Engines Development Award is focused on clean energy (CE) resource technologies, including land-based and offshore wind, solar, clean hydrogen, marine energy, and the electric-energy delivery and storage systems that support their integration with the grid. Leveraging the creativity, research, and development expertise, infrastructure, and professional networks of partner organizations, this project will benefit the communities in the renewable energy resource basin of the Carolinas through use-inspired research and technology creation, translation to practice, and workforce development leading to regional economic development. The project's activities will support the CE transformation of the Carolinas for a net-carbon-neutral electric grid in 2050. The ecosystem will lead to a more just and equitable distribution of wealth through upward economic mobility enabled by education and employment in high-wage jobs typical of a knowledge-driven economy. The region of service is centered in Charlotte. It encompasses the Piedmont and Coastal Plains of North and South Carolina, focusing on areas in the eastern parts of both states, especially the Southeast Black Belt. The region is the most representative of the nation’s emerging CE economy through significant existing carbon-free power production and capabilities to invent, design, build, and manufacture CE technologies. The project is led by UNC Charlotte and comprises a diverse coalition of currently identified and aspirational partners from higher education, industry, government, and consortia/community organizations.This NSF Engines Development award will accelerate use-inspired research to improve the competitiveness of numerous products related to renewable energy (solar, wind, and marine) and smart grid technologies that are needed to integrate large increases in CE. When successful, the future NSF Engine will develop disruptive technology for clean hydrogen as a second energy carrier to support a cluster of hydrogen companies in the Southeast. This project will embrace, through a pervasive diversity, equity, inclusiveness, and accessibility (DEIA) culture, engagement with economically distressed communities in the region. Innovative workforce development activities coordinated with NC A&T State University will help prepare competitive communities in the knowledge-based economy that will rapidly grow CE production. The Development Award will support these activities through four thrusts: (1) an innovation inventory of regional scientific and technical expertise in CE; (2) workforce development for CE innovations and manufacturing; (3) demonstration of the culture of DEIA; and (4) organizational activities leading to an effective leadership team and a roadmap for transitioning to the nascent phase of a future NSF Engine.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.