Energy Huntsville, UAH join forces in energy market sector research

UAH President Robert Altenkirch, left, and Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle shake hands after signing the agreement.
Michael Mercier | UAH

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (July 31, 2014) - The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) and The Energy Huntsville Initiative (EHI) are collaborating to support development of the North Alabama Regional Energy Center of Excellence and to jointly satisfy their energy objectives.

A memorandum of understanding signed by Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle and UAH President Robert Altenkirch at the Shelby Center for Technology on Thursday, July 31, says that both organizations can benefit from the collaboration.

"UAH plays a vital role in the success of our city, from developing the next generation of leaders to generating breakthrough discoveries, and that includes energy research and education," said Mayor Battle. "We look forward to deepening this alliance in our energy network."

Nationally and internationally recognized as a leading science and technology university, UAH has an interest in preparing its students to enter the workforce in the growing energy market sector.

"A partnership between UAH and the City of Huntsville brings a tremendous amount of strength to Mayor Battle's Energy Huntsville initiative," said UAH President Robert Altenkirch. "Researchers on our campus helped create solutions for many of America's technological challenges over the years, and that expertise can also be used to help address this nation's energy problems. At the same time, UAH's role in education will help create high-quality graduates for Huntsville's workforce in this emerging technological field."

EHI was launched by Mayor Battle to expand on the city's space and missile technology expertise and focus on the growing energy market sector. A volunteer-based non-profit collaborative of over 200 companies in the energy market, EHI focuses intellectual capital on the energy sector with the goal of supporting Huntsville's economic growth.

"We are excited about formalizing our UAH relationship through this MOU," said Jay Newkirk, executive director of EHI. "We have innovative companies as EHI members developing energy solutions that can benefit significantly from UAH's ability to vet their offerings through the Reliability and Failure Analysis Laboratory (RFAL) and the broad spectrum of the university's departments, their faculty and the Research Institute researchers, including the students interested in ultimately pursuing energy technology career opportunities."

UAH's Research Institute is seeking to expand its RFAL to further support vetting entrepreneurial development of advanced energy generation, energy control and energy efficiency systems and solutions, said Chris Sautter, the laboratory's managing director. "We view this memorandum of understanding as an opportunity for UAH to use our expertise and capabilities to assist the city in achieving its energy saving vision."