ORNL/EERE

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In keeping with its goal of bringing the Western Carolinas into the technological era, the ERC created a subsidiary, Education and Research Services (ERS), to spearhead projects in partnership with Oak Ridge National Laboratories (ORNL) and other distinguished agencies. These individual projects will collectively advance the ERC’s mission to further economic development in the region.

• Community College Campus Building and Industrial Assessments for Energy Efficiency Opportunities
  
  BASF generously donated buildings to the Enka campus of Asheville-Buncombe Technical College. These buildings are in need of renovation and the focus of this project is on the energy efficiency and upgrade of the Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning system (HVAC). The first step is an energy audit of the facilities and an assessment of the possibilities for the use of alterative technologies and alternative financing. In the future, this project will create an educational component providing instruction in these same areas of energy efficiency. The resources and materials created will be disseminated to other area community colleges. ORNL is providing key technical support and other partners include the State Energy Offices of both Carolinas, the Department of Energy Rebuild America and Best Practices Programs as well as Haywood, Southwestern, and Blue Ridge Community Colleges.
  
  
• Climate-Based Software Tools to Support Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Applications for Local, State and Regional Use
  
  In its first year this project will assess and integrate database resources from the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), ORNL, and other agencies to create software tools for EERE applications, some of which rely heavily on climate factors. NCDC is the repository of a vast amount of global climate data and as such, constitutes a natural starting point for this endeavor. In addition, UNC-Asheville houses the National Environmental Modeling and Analysis Center (NEMAC), which will contribute its technologies to meet both short and long-term needs. This project is made possible through the cooperation of UNC-A, DOE, ORNL, NREL, and ERS.
  
  
• User-Friendly Exhibition North Carolina’s Arboretum to Educate the Public about Energy Efficient Practices
  
  Without public interest, research into energy efficiency would remain a purely academic undertaking. This outreach effort will introduce the public to energy efficiency principles and practices, and planning has begun for an interactive exhibit to be housed at the North Carolina Arboretum. The vision for this exhibit is to provide personalized recommendations, based on the visitor’s home address, for energy efficiency improvements in both the home and surrounding landscape. This exciting and educational exhibit is being implemented through the cooperation of ORNL, the Arboretum, Energy Offices of North and South Carolina, DOE Rebuild America and Best Practices Program, and NCDC.
  
  
• Manufacturing Opportunity Using ORNL Appliance Technology
  
  Using technology developed by ORNL, a prototype for a dehumidifying water heater will be developed for possible manufacturing by a WNC manufacturer. This device will greatly improve energy efficiency in homes, businesses and institutions. The project will utilize the skills and expertise of not only ORNL’s technical staff but also engineering faculty and students from Western Carolina University and electronic controls faculty and students at A-B Tech where the testing station for performance evaluation and instrumentation verification will be located. For development of a marketing assessment, ORNL will collaborate with the newly created WNC Office of Technology Transfer.
  
  
• Develop Opportunities for Entrepreneurial Education in Western Carolinas
  
  This program seeks to develop effective entrepreneurial projects in the region. To that end, ORNL will offer intellectual property to support the development of new companies for the commercialization of energy efficient technologies. Important aspects of this endeavor include informing people about the process of technology commercialization and educating entrepreneurs about business start-up and development through workshops. Numerous agencies and groups have been invited to add their considerable knowledge and resources to this project including the Asheville Chamber of Commerce, Advantage West, Blue Ridge Entrepreneurial Council, Blue Ridge Angel Investor Network, Land-O-Sky Regional Council, and Waste Reduction Partners. In addition to ERS and ORNL, partners in this project include the Institute at Biltmore, UNC-A, Clemson University, and Western Carolina University.