Tech Awarded More Than $4 Million By Department Of Energy

Tennessee Tech was awarded more than $4 million by the U.S. Department of Energy for its proposal to build the clean energy economy in rural areas.

Rural Reimagined is Tennessee Tech’s Grand Challenge initiative to harness science, technology, and innovation to transform rural communities. Tennessee Tech’s own Pingen (Peeng-Un)Chen, assistant professor for mechanical engineering is leading the project. It involves more than 50 partners from Tennessee, Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Virginia sharing the cost.

Chen said that the project aims to “provide clean and affordable mobility options to the underserved communities by developing needed charging infrastructure and adopting and demonstrating various cost-effective electric vehicles in diverse applications.”

The proposal says that there will be several long-term impacts on rural areas. These would include moving from a fossil fuel-based fuel economy to clean energy, improved environmental quality, and public health. It could also create new job opportunities.