The Board of Trustees approved the creation of a new Centennial Campus energy center.

Alex Huang, a professor of electrical and computer engineering, will direct the Future Renewable Electric Energy Delivery and Management (FREEDM) Center, which will “foster a revolution in innovation and technology in electric power and sustainable energy industries” and “educate a new workforce for the coming green-energy based economy,” according to the letter requesting to establish the center.

The FREEDM System involves an energy grid to manage Distributed Renewable Energy Resources, such as wind, solar or geothermal generators or Distributed Energy Storage Devices such as plug-in hybrid vehicles or fuel cells, the request stated.

The National Science Foundation will provide basic support for the research center, which has an $18.8 million budget for its first 5 years.

The Center will conduct research that the NSF proposes.

The FREEDM Center will also be an “organizational unit for a new Engineering Research Center (ERC)” funded by the NSF, according to the request.

The University will be the lead university in the center, with academics partners contributing across the world.