Taking the Lead in Fuel Cell Research
With the support of a growing number of industry leaders based in Connecticut, UConn is at the forefront of developing clean, alternative sources of renewable energy using fuel cell technology. Relationships with such industry giants as UTC Power—a United Technologies Corporation company and a world leader in fuel cells—give UConn the edge in driving innovation and anticipating the workforce needs of the state.
Michael McQuade, senior vice president of science and technology at UTC, says the collaboration with UConn was a natural choice.
“As the person responsible for research and development at UTC, I believe it is imperative to know the people at one of the most important universities in the state,” says McQuade. “We partner with UConn through its fuel cell center. We sponsor research related to developing alternative power sources like fuel cells, and we depend on UConn to educate the high-quality engineers we hire.”
With nearly $20 million in funding from federal, state and private sources, the Center for Clean Energy Engineering (formerly the Connecticut Global Fuel Cell Center) brings together faculty researchers from chemistry, biology and various engineering disciplines to advance the state of the art in fuel cell science and technology. Training graduate students to become tomorrow’s leaders is a central part of the center’s mission and an important part of UConn’s academic plan.
“We respect the University’s commitment to sustainability,” McQuade says. “We’re working closely with the center and its students and researchers to advance the fuel cell industry and offer a commercially viable, environmentally friendly fuel alternative.”
