Gov. Doyle: Establishes clean energy consortium

Contacts: Laura Smith, Office of the Governor, 608-261-2162

Tony Hozeny, Department of Commerce, 608-267-9661

Will Help Grow Wisconsin’s Clean Energy Economy

CHICAGO – Governor Jim Doyle announced today the creation of the Clean Energy Generation, Transmission and Storage Systems (CEGTS) Consortium that combines the expertise of state industry and government partners with the research and development capabilities of the public and private academic institutions of Wisconsin. Governor Doyle made the announcement at the BIO 2010 International Convention – the world’s largest biotech conference – in Chicago.

“It is crucial that Wisconsin develop and maintain a leadership role in these emerging energy technologies to provide the needed expertise to its companies,” Governor Doyle said. “Enhanced R&D capacity, combined with the development of industry supply chains, will serve as an important tool to attract and retain high value-added business. The consortium also will play a vital role in educating a world-class workforce essential for this industrial sector to thrive and grow.”

The consortium will build upon the strong network of energy research expertise between Madison and Milwaukee academic institutions and industry. Wisconsin has a rich history of being a center of excellence for energy, power, controls, and information technology. The Center for Renewable Energy Systems (CRES) in Madison and the Southeastern Wisconsin Energy Technology Research (SWETR) consortium in Milwaukee will join together as a focused single statewide Power and Energy organization.

This consortium will provide continuous research and development for the state’s industrial leaders in a wide range of technologies crucial for clean energy development and economic growth, such as:

* Energy efficiency

* Wind turbines and power conversion

* Photovoltaic and concentrated solar

* Fuel cells

* Biofuels

* Superconductivity: transmission and energy storage

* Smart grid power systems

* Composite structures and nanomaterials

* Power electronics and power conversion equipment

* Energy storage for stationary and mobile applications

The consortium will have access to the Center for Renewable Energy Systems (CRES), developed at UW-Madison to conduct sponsored research that focuses on the integration of new clean and renewable energy technologies into highly efficient systems. CRES will be one of the first tenants in the new Wisconsin Energy Institute, a $50 million building project initiated by Governor Doyle to house the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center. The university will begin construction of the Institute facilities in June 2010.

“This new consortium will offer significant return on investment to industry by taking an energy systems perspective,” said Paul Peercy, dean of the UW-Madison College of Engineering. “Producing cleaner energy sources is just one part of the challenge. We need to better understand the interconnection between energy sources, energy storage, energy loads and their integration into the emerging national smart grid.”

“Building a stronger network of energy research expertise between Madison and Milwaukee institutions makes sense strategically and gives member companies access to a deeper pool of talent,” said Michael Lovell, dean of the UW-Milwaukee College of Engineering and Applied Science.

Consortium activities will be conducted at the UW-Madison and UW-Milwaukee campuses, as well as Marquette University and the Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE), by researchers from a variety of disciplines.

“As we continue to expand university-industrial partnerships in Wisconsin, we are seeing the impact of federal and state research dollars on these collaborations’ capacity to provide tangible, real-world problem-solving for a host of commercial sectors,” said Stan Jaskolski, OPUS dean of engineering at Marquette University. “This consortium is another practical example of how these sorts of partnerships can impact an industry such as energy.”

The consortium will be funded by a combination of federal, state, regional, local and private industry sources. Additional financial support for facilities, infrastructure, and outreach activities will be sought from private foundations. The Wisconsin Office of Energy Independence will provide $300,000 in seed capital for the first two years of operation. The project is expected to leverage $37 million in combined sponsored research over a 10-year period.

Since taking office, Governor Doyle has advanced an aggressive agenda to position Wisconsin as a leader in a growing clean energy economy. Wisconsin has adopted renewable portfolio standards, invested in clean energy job creation, led the advancement of research in cellulosic ethanol and biomass, and made great strides to increase energy efficiency in homes, businesses and government buildings. As a result, Wisconsin has seen a rapid expansion in alternative energy production and real growth in clean energy jobs.