Innovate Texas Foundation Announces Formation of National Institute for Renewable Energy
May 24, 2010
Innovate Texas Foundation joined the Texas Tech University System and The Wind Alliance to announce today the formation of the National Institute for Renewable Energy (NIRE), an independent public-private collaboration that will work to solve key scientific and technology challenges facing the wind power industry. The announcement was made during the Windpower 2010 Conference in Dallas, sponsored by the American Wind Energy Association.
NIRE will operate for-profit business components that will design, construct and operate research wind farms. These farms will generate power to be sold in the commercial marketplace, with a portion of the revenue going to fund a non-profit research center. NIRE will also provide services to industry partners and offer an industry consortium, which will be managed by The Wind Alliance. Start-up funding for NIRE has been derived from many of the economic development organizations in West Texas.
"Texas Tech is nationally recognized as a leader in wind-energy research," said Chancellor Kent Hance. "We are grateful to be associated with this collaboration to address the future energy needs of our state and nation. As our country moves toward energy independence, Texas Tech will continue to develop innovative solutions and make advancements in all areas of the power generation sector."