Energy and Environmental Research Center

The Energy and Environmental Research Center (EERC) in Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States is a research, development, demonstration, and commercialization facility for energy and environment technologies development. The center is a nonprofit division of the University of North Dakota.

Energy and Environmental Research Center
Established1951 (1951)
Director [1]Charles Gorecki
Staff210
Address15 North 23rd Street, Stop 9018
Grand Forks, ND 58202
Location
Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States
Websitewww.undeerc.org

The center was founded in 1951 as the Robertson Lignite Research Laboratory, a federal facility under the United States Bureau of Mines, named after Charles R. Robertson.[2] It became a federal energy technology center under the United States Department of Energy in 1977 and was defederalized in 1983. The center employs approximately 210 employees.[3]

The EERC conducts research, development, demonstration, and commercialization activities involving zero-emissions coal conversion; CO2 capture and sequestration; energy and water sustainability; hydrogen and fuel cells; advanced air emission control technologies, emphasizing SOx, NOx, air toxics, fine particulate, CO2, and mercury control; renewable energy; wind energy; water management; flood prevention; global climate change; waste utilization; energy efficiency; and contaminant cleanup.

The EERC is located on more than 15 acres (61,000 m2) of land on the southeast corner of the UND campus in Grand Forks, North Dakota, and houses 254,000 square feet (23,600 m2) of laboratories, fabrication facilities, technology demonstration facilities, and offices.[4] The EERC has a current contract portfolio of over $208.4 million and the EERC's estimated regional economic impact is $78.1 million.[3] Since 1987, the EERC has had more than 1,315 clients in 50 states and 52 countries.

Centers of excellence

The EERC's eleven centers of excellence include the following:

  • Coal Utilization Technologies Center
  • Emission Control Technologies Center
  • Flaring Solutions Technology Center[5]
  • National Center for Hydrogen Technology
  • Center for Climate Change, Carbon Capture, and Storage
  • Center for Air Toxic Metals
  • Centers for Renewable Energy and Biomass Utilization
  • Water Management Center
  • National Alternative Fuels Center
  • Center for Oil and Gas
  • Great Plains Applied Energy Technology Center
  • Center for Environmental Chemistry and Reclamation

The National Center for Hydrogen Technology does research in hydrogen and fuel cell technology. In 2006, hydrogen-related contracts at the NCHT totaled more than $20 million. Groundbreaking on the 15,000-square-foot (1,400 m2) NCHT building on the EERC campus took place on April 17, 2006.

Notes
  1. "Gorecki selected to lead UND EERC". University of North Dakota. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
  2. "Lignite Lab to Open". St. Cloud Times. July 26, 1951. p. 20. Retrieved September 18, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Economic Impact". Grand Forks Herald. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  4. "Map and Directions". Energy and Environmental Research Center. Retrieved January 16, 2013.
  5. Flaring Solutions Technology, EERC, accessed 2014-03-21

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