The September 13th edition of the Yale Daily Bulletin reported that the university will establish an Energy Sciences Institute on its West Campus in West Haven. The institute will bring together physicists, chemists, geologists, biologists, and engineers to develop solutions to the world's energy challenges.
During the institute's start-up phase, the university will recruit several new faculty members, including a director; establish 40,000 square feet of dedicated laboratory space on the West Campus; and launch interdisciplinary research programs that will span Yale's science and engineering departments.
The institute will divide its research into two major areas: solar energy and near-term 'transitional technologies' such as clean fuels, refined combustion technologies, and carbon capture and sequestration.
The institute’s research will build on a foundation already underway at the university. For example, the Solar Group will continue to develop its photocatalytic solar cell as an economic source of liquid fuels derived from hydrogen. Other scientists will advance the study of microbes that produce fuel hydrocarbons as a byproduct of digesting cellulose. As these long-term solutions incubate, the institute will also explore ways to better use existing fossil fuels. The Center for Combustion Studies will work to improve technology so that engines and furnaces can burn fuel with minimum waste, while another group of scientists will continue its examination of shale gas to determine its potential as a clean transitional fuel.
Planning for the new institute involved faculty members from the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the School of Engineering & Applied Science, and the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. The institute will tap into ongoing research in all three, as well as undertake joint initiatives with the Yale Climate and Energy Institute.
