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The SunSmart E-Shelter Schools program has installed more than 100 photovoltaic systems in more than 46 Florida school districts, adding more than one MW of combined photovoltaic generating capacity to Florida. In addition, the program’s education and outreach efforts have provided more than 350 teachers with professional development in the science and use of photovoltaics. A companion, inquiry-based curriculum rich in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) content encourages best-teaching practices through project-based learning that enables students to solve problems using critical thinking and data analysis.

Drive Electric Florida is an organization made up of stakeholders working to advance the energy, economic, and environmental security of the state of Florida by promoting the growth of electric vehicle ownership and accompanying infrastructure. They support and accelerate the adoption of plug-in electric vehicles in Florida by engaging and educating the public, businesses, and policy-makers; facilitating collaboration; and supporting EV-friendly policy and programs. DEF industry representatives include automakers, infrastructure providers, environmentalists, local government, universities, Clean Cities coalitions, and leadership of PEV enthusiast groups. The University of Central Florida is one its founding members.

The PV Regional Test Centers help to validate photovoltaic (PV) technologies in a range of different climates. One of five PV test sites in the U.S., the Florida Regional Test Center (FL RTC) is operated by UCF’s FSEC, under the technical oversight of Sandia National Laboratories. Located on the campus of UCF, the FL RTC provides the physical and technical infrastructure needed to conduct validation testing for large-scale photovoltaic (PV) systems in a hot, humid climate that will help banks, insurance companies, and other stakeholders establish the confidence that new PV technologies perform reliably in the field. The site can accommodate approximately 250kW of PV, with systems ranging in size from 10 to more than 100kW. If this capacity is exceeded in the future, UCF has set aside another site, which can host ≤2 MW of power production.

The FEEDER (Foundations for Engineering Education for Distributed Energy Resources) center is a consortium of eight universities, two national laboratories, eight utilities and 11 industrial companies—led by the University of Central Florida—to significantly advance power systems engineering capability in the United States.

EnergyGauge is a family of user-friendly software tools that allow simple yet detailed performance-based analysis of building energy use and performs economic analysis of proposed energy improvements. EnergyGauge is a partner in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Energy Star® Homes program and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Building America program, and an active member of RESNET, the national rating industry association.

1.1.1.1. The Electric Vehicle Transportation Center (EVTC) is a University Transportation Center funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation and is a research and education effort to help create the nation’s electric-vehicle transportation network. The EVTC will bridge the gap between deployment of electric vehicles and the traditional transportation system.

The Electric Vehicle Transportation Center is a comprised of transportation and energy experts from the project lead, the University of Central Florida (UCF), University of Hawaii, and Tuskegee University. The EVTC program will conduct research, educate students, transfer technologies, and form collaborations with manufacturers, suppliers, utilities and governmental agencies in order to achieve its goal of accelerating EV acceptance and adoption.