SCRA - Applied Research and Commercialization Services

Alternative Energy Initiatives

SCRA’s collaboration management model has proven effective across numerous power and energy technology programs and projects that bring together federal, state and local governments, academic research institutions, private industry and non-profit foundations and organizations.

Leadership across Multiple Power and Energy Disciplines

Biotechnology and Aquaculture. Developed the vision and secured Department of Commerce (Economic Development Agency) funding to begin efforts for economic revitalization of the I-95 corridor in South Carolina, an initiative focused on biotechnology (growing energy crops and harvesting them for energy/converting them to biofuels) and aquaculture (in-shore seafood production/restoring brown fields to productive use).
Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology. Founding member of the University of South Carolina - City of Columbia Fuel Cell Collaborative, a nationally-recognized leader in promoting fuel cell commercialization through collaborative partnerships with the public, private, university, government and nonprofit sectors. This collaboration has received the "Innovator Award" from the Southern Policies Growth Board in 2009, and the “Excellence in Economic Development Award” from the International Economic Development Council in 2011.
Novel Sources of Gaseous Fuels. Partnered on a DARPA effort currently underway that is developing catalysts to permit converting JP-8 to propane to provide an in-theater source for fueling unmanned aerial vehicles powered by fuel cell technology in support intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance requirements in Afghanistan.
All-electric Platform R&D. Formed and led a nation-wide university consortium that executed nine projects funded by the Navy’s all-electric ship R&D program.

Building Collaborations between Federal, State and Private Entities

DoE-BMW-Private Charitable Foundation. Developed the vision, organized the stakeholders, recruited the project team, and secured the public and private funding streams for an initiative that will permit converting the entire fleet of material handling equipment (more than 300 pieces in all) at BMW’s Greer, SC manufacturing facility from battery power to fuel cell power, and fueling this equipment with hydrogen recovered from landfill gas from a nearby landfill.
FTA-State of South Carolina-City of Columbia. Identified the stakeholders, recruited the regional partners and helped secure funding for a "first-of-its-kind" demonstration project under the National Fuel Cell Bus Program, whereby a hybrid battery-dominant, fuel cell transit bus was tested in actual university shuttle routes and city transit bus operations. Coordinated federal, state and local investments to build a permanent hydrogen fueling station to support this bus and follow-on hydrogen-fueled vehicles operating in the Columbia, SC region.

Inter-Service and Inter-Agency Collaborations

DoE-DoI. Developed the vision, recruited the project team, and coordinated multi-agency funding for the first project nationally to be conducted under the joint DoE – National Park Service “Energy Smart Parks” initiative, which will demonstrate a combination of renewable energy technologies supplying both primary (solar) and backup (fuel cell) power at Ft. Sumter National Monument.
DoD-DoE. Identified the opportunity, coordinated federal and state funding sources, and provided overall project management for a DoE fuel cell “market transformation” initiative that deployed 10 fuel cell back-up power units at three mission-critical sites at Ft. Jackson, SC. This project earned distinction as a "Palmetto Pillar Award in Green Technology" recipient in 2009.

High ROI in Federally-funded R&D

DoE (EERE Industrial Technologies Program). Created partnerships among researchers, more than 100 industrial companies, and national laboratories, developed a balanced portfolio of projects to address energy-saving opportunities in the metalcasting industry, then managed a multi-million dollar, multi-year applied research program of work to develop energy-saving technologies and processes for this industry. Focus areas included melting efficiency, yield improvement/revert reduction and material properties studies that collectively could reduce the metal casting industry’s energy requirements by 14 percent within ten years.
DoD (Defense Logistics Agency). ATI’s Defense Fuel Cell Manufacturing project team successfully integrated and demonstrated an advanced hybrid fuel cell - battery power platform into a TALON™ robotic Unmanned Ground Vehicle in August 2008. The system delivered approximately 200 watts of continuous power and met all peak power demands of the Talon Robot. This extremely successful demonstration was the first integration of a hybrid fuel cell-battery powered platform into a TALON™ Robot.
DoD (Defense Logistics Agency, Army Research Laboratory). Assembled the partners from government, industry and academia to address specific Army needs for lighter weight, lower cost, more environmentally friendly, and more reliable materials for its future weapon systems and logistics support items. The resultant Copper-Based Casting Technology program has developed advanced copper motor rotors that are 5-10% lighter, 3-7% smaller, 14% more energy efficient, and last twice as long as the incumbent aluminum-based motor rotors.

Supporting Early Stage Power and Energy Companies

Direct funding for start-up technology companies. State legislation authorizes SCRA to raise up to $6M per year in private funds, and deploy them as direct support to South Carolina-based companies in the form of grants, loans, SBIR award matching funds and seed capital investments
Access to “non-traditional” technology providers in power and energy areas of interest. SCRA’s in-state mission provides a direct connection to a number of small, innovative companies in the power and energy disciplines, all of whom are “non-traditional” government contractors. Several have technology relevant to federal department/agency mission areas, such as:
- EV Power Systems (produces retro-fit battery electric kits to “hybridize” light truck fleets)
- Global Climax Energy (converts non-recyclable plastic waste streams into synthetic crude oil or synthetic diesel fuel outputs)
- Trulite, Inc. (produces lightweight, high hydrogen concentration fuel for portable power fuel cell applications in unmanned systems)
- Proterra, Inc. (produces composite-body, all-electric and battery/fuel cell hybrid buses)
- BEEnergy (novel hydro-kinetic power production technology for baseload or niche power generation applications for eventual use in both military and commercial markets)
- NextGenEn (developing a portable solid oxide fuel cell power system)
- AgriTech Producers (makes torrefaction equipment that converts plant and woody biomass into a clean, renewable coal substitute)