Congratulations to all of the award winners at this year’s EnergyWhiz! This year’s event was held on Earth Day, April 22, 2023 at FSEC, an energy research center at the University of Central Florida, in Cocoa, Florida.
From crazy contraptions that take you around the world, to super speedy solar cars, this year’s EnergyWhiz Virtual was diverse and inspiring. Visit https://www.energywhiz.com/energywhiz-virtual-2023/ to see the projects. The award winners are listed below.
Be sure to join us for EnergyWhiz in-person on April 22, 2023 (Earth Day) at the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) in Cocoa. Projects at the in-person event include Critter Comfort Cottage, Electrathon, Energy Inspired Art, Junior Solar Sprint, and the Solar Energy Cook-off. Exhibits and tasty food truck fare will also be there. All are invited to participate in an EnergyQuest (scavenger hunt) and win a prize.
This year’s sponsors include FPL, KUA, Duke Energy, LifeStyle Homes, Florida Association of Sleep Technologists, Central Florida Clean Cities Coalition, and Drive Electric Florida. Read more
The startup-university partnership is creating a technology to convert stranded gas methane, which is a common byproduct of oil production, to methanol, that can be used in low-carbon fuels and other materials.
Gas flaring is the process of burning and disposing stranded natural gas, a byproduct of oil production, at oil wells. Photo credit: Anthony Dean, M2X Energy
Most people realize the climate impacts of carbon dioxide. Not many people, however, know that methane, the main component of natural gas, is much more potent than carbon dioxide.
While methane doesn’t remain in the atmosphere as long as CO2 (which can linger for thousands of years), it is 84 times more potent at trapping heat over a 20-year time horizon, according to the sixth annual assessment report of the International Panel on Climate Change. And in 2021, the emission of methane rose to record levels for the second year in a row, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
That’s why UCF’s Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) has partnered with startup M2X Energy, which has developed a technology to capture methane from gas flare sites and convert it to liquid methanol, which can then be transported. The startup was created in 2020 and venture-funded by Breakthrough Energy Ventures, which was founded by Bill Gates and helps accelerate innovations that support getting to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. Read more
Colleen McCann Kettles, FSEC director of workforce and business development, is interviewed regarding the formation of the Solar Energy Apprenticeship, the first solar apprenticeship in the United States.
Congratulations to all of the award winners at this year’s EnergyWhiz! This year’s event was held on Earth Day, April 22, 2023 at FSEC, an energy research center at the University of Central Florida, in Cocoa, Florida.
