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

该NSF发动机开发奖专注于清洁能源（CE）资源技术，包括陆基和海上风能，太阳能，清洁氢，海洋能源以及支持其与电网集成的电能输送和存储系统。利用创造力，研究和开发专业知识，基础设施和合作伙伴组织的专业网络，该项目将通过以使用为导向的研究和技术创造，转化为实践，以及劳动力发展，使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在2050年将巴西的电力转换为净碳中性电网。生态系统将通过教育和知识驱动型经济所特有的高工资工作的就业实现向上的经济流动，从而实现更公正和公平的财富分配。服务区域以夏洛特为中心。它包括北卡罗来纳州和南卡罗来纳州的皮埃蒙特和沿海平原，重点是两个州的东部地区，特别是东南黑带。该地区是美国新兴CE经济的最具代表性的地区，通过现有的无碳电力生产和发明，设计，建造和制造CE技术的能力。该项目由美国国家科学基金会发动机开发奖（NSF Engines Development Award）颁发，由美国国家科学基金会夏洛特（Charlotte）领导，由来自高等教育、工业、政府和财团/社区组织的众多合作伙伴组成。该奖项将加速以使用为导向的研究，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发动机将开发清洁氢的颠覆性技术，作为第二种能源载体，以支持东南部的氢公司集群。该项目将通过普遍的多样性，公平，包容性和可访问性（DEIA）文化，与该地区经济困难的社区进行接触。与NC A T州立大学协调的创新劳动力发展活动将有助于在知识经济中建立具有竞争力的社区，从而快速发展CE生产。发展奖将通过以下四个方面支持这些活动：（1）CE领域的区域科学和技术专门知识创新清单;（2）CE创新和制造业的劳动力发展;（3）DEIA文化的展示;以及（4）组织活动，导致一个有效的领导团队和过渡到未来NSF引擎的初期阶段的路线图。这个奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估的支持。

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.