UL Lafayette gets largest funding award in its history for energy resilience initiative
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette received the largest funding award in its history to support efforts to ensure communities have access to electricity and other vital services during natural disasters.
The university is receiving $87 million in federal and state funds as part of Louisiana’s Hubs for Resilient Energy Operations, or HERO, initiative. UL Lafayette will create Community Resilience Hubs, which will be part of a network to help communities maintain access to electricity and key services during disasters.
Terry Chambers, the director of UL Lafayette’s Green Hydrogen Center of Excellence, said in a release that the hubs will be implemented by building solar and battery microgrids at the university’s three research centers: the Louisiana Solar Energy Lab in Lafayette, the New Iberia Research Center and the Cleco Alternative Energy Center in Crowley.
“Driven by a commitment to community resilience, we’re implementing these hubs at key research centers,” Chambers said. “These hubs represent a significant leap toward a more sustainable and connected future.”
The HERO initiative is being funded through a $250-million Bipartisan Infrastructure Law grant and $250 million in matching funds from state partners. UL Lafayette is the largest single recipient of the funding.
Through the initiative, the state plans to deploy a network of the Community Resilience Hubs, which should improve the state’s ability to respond to emergencies.
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“The microgrids will – after a hurricane, for instance – serve communities by assisting first responders and providing spots where there would be power and people could get food and water, cool off, or charge cell phones,” Chambers said.
UL Lafayette also will be training workers to install the microgrids. Earlier this year, the university was selected by the U.S. Department of Energy to lead the Louisiana Solar Corps — a statewide solar workforce training program. Now, the university will be working with Xavier University, the Louisiana Green Corps and the Louisiana State Building and Trades Council to grow the program.
The university also said in a release that being involved with HERO will help solidify the state as one of the nation’s leaders in the energy transition.
“Our state is prone to natural disasters that can cause significant disruptions to our power grids,” said Ramesh Kolluru, UL Lafayette’s vice president for research, innovation and economic development. “As a global leader in renewable and solar energies, our top-tier R1 research institution is uniquely positioned to improve the resiliency of our state during times of disasters. For more than a decade, we have been leading in the areas of disaster resiliency and energy resiliency, and through this project, we are bringing together those capabilities to make Louisiana more resilient and serve as a national model. We believe that to be our obligation as a public research university.”
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This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: UL Lafayette gets $87 million for energy resilience initiative
