Press Release

Edgewood Junior-Senior High Fuel Cell Team Successful

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Four students from Edgewood Junior-Senior High School in Merritt Island recently represented the United States at the International Youth Fuel Cell Competition in Hawaii. They were one of only two teams representing the United States at the competition, which was held in conjunction with the 30th Anniversary Fuel Cell Seminar.

Florida Solar Energy Center/University of Central Florida (FSEC/UCF) faculty and staff helped to mentor the team, which includes students Michael Granatosky, Melissa Ingram, Martin Moneysmith and Taylor Munsey and instructor Ryan Cilsick.

The team received received the Ovonics Special Award for the Most Insight into the Future of Hydrogen Storage. They were also first-place Winners of the Quiz Bowl and received first place in Car Engineering. They placed second in the Timepiece Artistic competition and were second to the Japanese team in the race of the hydrogen model cars. Read more

Florida Solar Energy Center to Host National Solar Tour – Hydrogen Car to be on Display

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The Florida Solar Energy Center in Cocoa will offer public tours Friday, Oct. 6, as part of the National Solar Tour sponsored by the American Solar Energy Society.

Tours have been scheduled on the hour from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the University of Central Florida research institute at 1679 Clearlake Road. FSEC is on the Cocoacampus that is shared by UCF and Brevard Community College. Read more

FSEC Advises Residents on Energy-Efficient Purchases During Tax-Free Week

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Florida residents can save money on energy-efficient appliances and other products during a tax-free holiday from Oct. 5 to 11, and advice from Florida Solar Energy Center researchers can help residents make purchases that will cut their energy bills.

The sales-tax holiday coincides with Energy Efficient Week and applies to new products with the “Energy Star” label that cost $1,500 or less. Residents will save money long after they receive the tax break because they will use less energy throughout the life of the products.

The Gossamer Wind series ceiling fans, developed at the Florida Solar Energy Center at the University of Central Florida, are among the products that qualify for the tax savings. New refrigerators, washers and programmable thermostats also are eligible. Read more

Applications Now Open for the 2006 Florida Energy Achievement Award

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Applications are now being accepted for the 2006 “Florida Energy Achievement Award” that recognizes a company, organization or individual that has made a significant achievement in the efficient utilization of energy, energy conservation, energy education or renewable energy in the state of Florida.

The award is presented annually by the Florida Solar Energy Center to recognize statewide leadership in sustainable energy savings. The selected winner will have achieved significant results in energy efficiency, conservation, energy education or the use of renewable energy in their facility or program. Sarasota County Government received the first award that was presented in 2005. Read more

FSEC to Host 2007 Middle School Science Bowl

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The Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) has been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy to be a regional site for the 2007 Middle School Science Bowl – the fifth consecutive year that FSEC has been a host of this event.

The Middle School Science Bowl is a two-part competition featuring a fast-paced academic question-and-answer event and an engineering challenge in which students design, build and race a model-sized hydrogen fuel cell car. More than 2,000 students participated in the 2006 competitions around the country. The winning team in the competition held at FSEC was Harris County Carver Middle School from Harris County, Georgia. Read more