Press Release

First High School Science Bowl to be Held at Florida Solar Energy Center Saturday

Sherri Shields Press Release ,

The 2007 Southeast Regional Science Bowl competition will be held at the Florida Solar Energy Center/University of Central Florida (FSEC) on Saturday, March 3, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.  Fourteen teams from Florida will participate in an academic competition.  The top academic team members and their mentor from this Science Bowl will receive an all-expense-paid trip to Washington D.C. to represent the Southeast region of the United States at the National Science Bowl competition, April 26-30, 2007.

The Southeast Regional High School Science Bowl is a fast-paced question and answer contest in which students answer questions about earth science, physical science, life science, general science and math. Read more

Presentation on Renewable Energy in Disaster Relief Set for Feb. 22

Sherri Shields Press Release ,

A free presentation for the general public on disaster preparedness using renewable energy technologies will be presented at the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) in Cocoa on Thursday evening, February 22.

The event will be held in the FSEC auditorium at 1679 Clearlake Road in Cocoa, on the campus of Brevard Community College and UCF in Cocoa. The doors will be open at 5:45 p.m. and the hour-long presentation will begin at 6:15 p.m.

The presentation by Bill Young, a researcher and disaster relief expert at FSEC, will focus on two important questions: what do you need to do to prepare for an emergency situation, and what are the benefits of using renewable energy technologies?  Solar and other forms of renewable energy offer many benefits to individuals and communities after disasters ranging from hurricanes and severe storms to terrorism or other major calamities, providing power for emergency lighting, medical facilities, shelters and other critical needs. Read more

Florida Solar Energy Center Will Host Monthly Tours

Sherri Shields Press Release ,

The public is invited to tour the University of Central Florida’s Florida Solar Energy Center for free on the second Thursday of each month.

FSEC staff will conduct the monthly tours of its highly energy-efficient facilities beginning Feb. 8, 2007 at 2 p.m. The center is located at 1679 Clearlake Road on the Cocoa campus that is shared by UCF and Brevard Community College. Monthly tours will be held the second Thursday of each month at 2 p.m.

Each tour will last about one hour and will be followed by a 30-minute video entitled “Killowatt Ours.” Visitors will have an opportunity to explore the FSEC building, one of the most energy-efficient commercial buildings in the world. Tour guides will point out some of the features that can be adopted by homeowners and businesses to make their buildings more energy efficient. Read more

New EnergyGauge® Summit Software Offers Easier Building Energy Calculation for Tax Deductions

Sherri Shields Press Release , ,

An easy-to-use new software product for calculating qualification for commercial building federal tax deductions, LEED® building Energy Performance, and energy code compliance was released today (January 29) at the AHR EXPO. This new software was developed by the University of Central Florida’s Florida Solar Energy Center.

EnergyGauge Summit Premier offers automatic ASHRAE 2001 and ASHRAE 2004 reference building creation including the Building Performance Rating Method in Appendix G of the 2004 Standard. Unlike other software that requires the user to create multiple building decks and make many changes to create a reference building according to code or IRS rules, EnergyGauge Summit allows users to simply enter basic information on the building they are evaluating. The software then automatically creates a reference building, performs the necessary simulations and analysis and provides a report indicating qualification for the U.S. Energy Policy Act tax deductions for whole building energy savings. The program will also determine if the building meets the IRS standard for partial envelope, equipment or lighting savings for those projects not seeking to meet the whole building performance level. Read more

Reedy Named Director of Florida Solar Energy Center's PV Division

Sherri Shields Press Release ,

Robert M. Reedy, manager of Transmission Line Design with the Georgia Transmission Corporation, has been named director of the Photovoltaics Division at the University of Central Florida¿s Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC).

He brings more than 20 years experience in renewable energy to his new position, including administrative positions with Lakeland Department of Electric and Water Utilities, The Energy Authority in Jacksonville, Turbec Americas, and Georgia Transmission Corp. Read more