Power To The Plug-In

$2.84. $3.49. $3.87. $4.09. $3.89. $3.56. These numbers represent the financial rise and fall for a gallon of gas. That’s why now, more than ever, hybrid vehicles, which can get up to 100 miles per gallon, are becoming not just a hot choice but also a necessary one for many Americans.

No two companies better understand the implications of this trend toward the hybrid than Progress Energy and Duke Energy. That’s why both of the state’s largest electric utility companies have committed $1.25 million each over the next five years to the Advanced Transportation Energy Center (ATEC).

This new, public-private partnership will conduct research to find solutions to power generation challenges that may arise when more and more consumers tap into the supply grid to power their vehicles. As John Gilligan, NC State University’s former vice chancellor for research, attests, “One of the main motivations for forming ATEC is to address a major need in the electric power industry as large numbers of plug-in electric vehicles are coming into the market place.”

ATEC will call Centennial Campus home, right near the Semiconductor Power Electronics Center. Research will focus on creating the infrastructure — including charging stations that function like gas stations — needed to bolster use of hybrids; managing the power supply grid to meet demand and developing other energy sources to help the state handle its power supply at large. The center will also work on improving hybrid batteries to make them more efficient and powerful.

Empowering the College of Engineering

The ATEC commitments rounded out Progress Energy’s and Duke Energy’s giving throughout the Achieve! campaign. Both companies are long-time supporters of the College of Engineering, empowering the college through professorships and program support. Specifically, Progress Energy awarded the college $1.2 million to establish an endowed professorship in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering’s power program and an endowed professorship in the Department of Nuclear Engineering. The gift also created the Dean’s unrestricted endowment fund.

Duke Energy awarded the college $1.25 million, establishing a professorship in nuclear engineering and a professorship in the power program of electrical and computer engineering. The gift also established an endowment in support of K-12 engineering outreach activities, and renovated spaces in Page Hall and Burlington Laboratories. Duke Energy also committed $250,000 to the college to establish the Duke Energy Safety and Ergonomics Research Endowment.

In return for their long-term investments in the college and its role as a key contributor to their workforce development strategies, Progress Energy and Duke Energy have named spaces in Engineering Building II on Centennial Campus. Duke Energy, Progress Energy and NC State’s College of Engineering. Powerful partners.