OREGON BEST IN THE NEWS
- BEST Researcher to Lead New Center08/05/2010Oregon BEST researcher Fred Kamke will lead a new $2.2M industry-university research center at OSU focused on wood-based composite materials and funded by private industry partners and the NSF. More
- New Grant Program Announced07/22/2010Oregon BEST's new Commercialization Grant Program is aimed at helping teams of small Oregon companies collaborating with BEST researchers to more quickly move green innovations from research to marketplace. More
- Cooling Solar Panels with Eco-Roofs07/20/2010Oregon BEST researchers install solar panels on green roof hoping both will benefit. More
- Oregon: World's Green Building Epicenter07/08/2010Oregon BEST is helping grow Oregon's reputation as innovation leader in the sustainable built environment. More
- 14,000 Solar Industry Jobs for Oregon05/20/2010A new study says extending incentive programs could create 14,500 solar jobs for Oregonians. More
Announcements
Home
AN ECONOMIC CATALYST, Oregon BEST connects the state's businesses with our university-based network of shared-user labs and expertise to commercialize and transform sustainable built environment and renewable energy research into on-the-ground products, services, and jobs that power Oregon's green economy.
- Using Unique Lab Tools to Improve Wind Power
The problem with harnessing energy from the wind is obvious: sometimes the wind blows, and sometimes it doesn't. So how can we better control, store, and release electricity generated by wind turbines?
Power companies are tapping the expertise and lab facilities of Oregon BEST researchers to learn more.
Oregon State University professors Alex Yokochi, Ted Brekken, and Annette von Jouanne used a $35,000 grant from Oregon BEST to leverage $725,000 in funding to explore ways to make wind energy more effective. The team has created a one-of-a kind, lab-scale power grid that's being used to test storage devices and determine how best to integrate wind power into the existing grid.
"This is the only university-based experimental lab grid in the U.S. for testing energy storage solutions for renewables integration into the grid at this power level," Yokochi says. Read full story here.
BEST Leadership Includes Top Oregon Executives
Oregon BEST's leadership includes executives from some of Oregon's most respected sustainable built environment and renewable energy companies: SolarWorld, PGE, Gerding Edlen Development, Collins Companies, CH2M HILL, SunPower Corporation, PNNL, and Perkins Coie. These people join research leaders from Oregon BEST's member universities (Oregon Institute of Technology, Oregon State University, Portland State University, and the University of Oregon) and a member of Oregon's Legislature to form a visionary management team committed to building Oregon's green economy. Read More...
