USC's fuel-cell research has global reach through collaboration with German research institute

The University of South Carolina signed an agreement Monday (July 11) with a leading German energy research institute, expanding its fuel-cell initiative to a third continent and raising its international research stature.

The agreement, which is between USC's College of Engineering and Information Technology and the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems in Freiburg, Germany, establishes a research partnership for Next Energy efforts, including fuel cells, hydrogen storage, hydrogen production, chemical-energy conversion and other electrochemical storage devices. It comes just three weeks after USC announced a fuel-cell partnership with a leading Korean research institute.

State Commerce Secretary Bob Faith said the agreement will enhance the state's recruiting efforts in Europe.

"This agreement brings together two world-class institutions in the field of fuel-cell research and will enhance the state's efforts to recruit leading firms from Europe for production and R&D," Faith said. The S.C. Commerce Department played a role in bringing the two entities together.

Both collaborations are directly linked to the visibility of USC's Industry/University Cooperative Research Center for Fuel Cells, the only one in the country designated by the National Science Foundation, and indicate USC's success in bringing the world's top scientists together to help energy needs for the future, USC President Andrew Sorensen said.

"The collaboration between USC and the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems recognizes the university's commitment to pursue Next Energy research and to bring the best scientists in the world together in this effort," Sorensen said.

"This agreement demonstrates the progress that USC has made in helping South Carolina achieve an international reputation in fuel-cell research and positions the university strategically to emerge as an international leader in the field of Next Energy research and development," he said.

The USC and Fraunhofer ISE agreement calls for the exchange of scientists, engineers and students; joint programs in research and development; and the promotion of intellectual property for commercial purposes.

Fraunhofer ISE, the first solar-research institute in Europe to operate independently of a university, was founded in 1981. A leading international energy-research institute, Fraunhofer ISE employs approximately 400 workers and is the largest solar energy research institute in Europe.

USC's collaboration with Fraunhofer ISE follows an agreement signed last month with the Korean Institute for Energy Research to establish joint research programs in fuel-cell technology and other energy initiatives.

Dr. John Van Zee, director of USC's fuel-cell center, said the Fraunhofer ISE agreement shows the impressive growth of USC's center, which was established two years ago, and demonstrates its burgeoning reputation.

"As our center evolves, these are the types of partnerships that we will pursue," he said. "This agreement recognizes our research accomplishments and establishes a vision for the future. Our fuel-cell research spans two oceans and gives us a presence in Europe and Asia."

Sorensen said USC's fuel-cell initiative is an example of the increasingly global nature of science and research.

"Through advances in technology and telecommunication, the world has become flat," he said. "What we're working on at USC has global implications, and it is critical that we work with other top scientists whose goals, interests and resources complement our own."

Sorensen also said that the fuel-cell initiative is part of the USC's vision to develop its research campus.

"This is exactly the type of research endeavor that will draw top companies and scientists to USC and be the catalyst for economic development in the Palmetto State," he said.

Fraunhofer ISE is working with a number of clients and partners in the United States, including the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, Calif.; General Atomics in San Diego, Calif.; the Gillette Co. in Boston, Mass.; the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colo.; the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C.; and the University of California at Berkeley. The institute has clients in numerous countries, including the United Kingdom, Japan, Italy, Switzerland, Israel, the Netherlands, Greece, Australia, France, Spain and Sweden.

To learn more about USC's fuel-cell research, go to http://fuelcells.sc.edu. For information on Fraunhofer ISE, log on to http://www.managenergy.net/actors/A1879.htm.

Fuel cell research at USC