Since 2007, about 50 students and five faculty members have been changing the future of South Carolina. Through their positions at the USC SmartState Center for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC), these aspiring and current scientists have been working to understand the science and engineering of solid-state energy devices.
“It really is about trying to come up with a better future for our state, our nation, and even the world,” said Patrick Rogers, a fourth-year mechanical engineering student who works at the center. “[With our work] there could be a whole new industry of how energy could be transmitted in the U.S. … it could totally change the way America operates.”
Though USC’s SmartState Center is only one of almost 50 in South Carolina, it is the best supported in the state, receiving $54 million in total funds. The center serves as a national leader in the research of energy systems and SOFCs, providing advances for home heat and electricity, emission-free automobiles and even long-lasting power for mobile electronics.
“This is a big deal,” said Kenneth Reifsnider, director of the SmartState Center, regarding the center’s high levels of funding. “It makes us pretty happy to be able to come here from square one.”
The SmartState program was established in 2002 by the South Carolina General Assembly to “use state lottery funds to create Centers of Economic Excellence in research areas that will advance South Carolina’s economy,” according to the program’s website. USC’s Columbia Campus holds 18 SmartState programs, some of which are collaboration projects with Clemson and MUSC.
“There’s a lot of opportunities for students to get involved and improve the economy of our state,” Rogers said. “[The SmartState Center] is a great program and it’s doing a lot for state.”
How it works
The SmartState Center is composed of 18 diverse projects, ranging from a HeteroFoaM Center to an Advanced Research Projects Agency Energy (ARPA-E) project.
The HeteroFoaM Center is the biggest single project of the SmartState Center. As a collaborative project with seven universities and three national labs, the center focuses on batteries and the solid membranes used to separate gases for nuclear fuel, and uses scientific knowledge to design and build things.
The scientists at the SmartState Center believe that the HeteroFoaM project, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, is critical for the development of sustainable energy use in the U.S.
The ARPA-E project is the first of its kind at USC, and it is a demonstration project that focuses on energy storage. Since it is necessary to carry around large amounts of energy, it addresses the question of how this should be done. The project is also unique because it deals primarily with the real-world applications of research going on at the SmartState Center.
“For an old guy like me, that’s why I’m still here. I want to see it go on the street,” Reifsnider said. “That’s why I came here in the first place.”
Toyota, the Japanese automobile manufacturer, has expressed interest in the USC ARPA-E project, as it has the potential to ultimately allow electric cars to travel across the entire country.
Making it to the market
The employees at the SmartState Center are still in the process of making this concept of advanced clean energy a market reality.
“We are contracted by organizations to advance the science that allows these devices, like cell phones, to come to the markets,” Reifsnider said. “This is the age of electric, ceramic stuff. So what we do on a daily basis is work on this stuff so it does what we like to do.”
A lot of their work also contributes to the design of better nuclear energy systems with the hopes of redefining the nuclear industry.
“The stuff we do is try to construct ceramic systems or high temperature systems, and a lot of those go into nuclear fuel systems,” Reifsnider said.
A brighter future
According to Reifsnider, the USC SmartState Center has a “terrific reputation” in South Carolina due to their efforts toward building the state’s economy and making society brighter.
“The biggest accomplishment we have is creating a new group at the university that is part of the university and state that is healthy and seems to have a plan that is going into the future,” Reifsnider said.
Reifsnider believes one of the reasons South Carolina is special is that it is one of only a few energy-exporting states.
“We’re really special in the state of South Carolina,” Reifsnider said. “One of the special good reasons is that we export energy. It’s a big deal to us. We’re an energy-exporting state.”
Rogers hopes that the work going on at the SmartState Center helps other USC students be aware of the incredible energy industry in South Carolina. This industry revolves around using energy efficiently and safely.
“We have a lot of energy. The sun shines every day,” Reifsnider said. “Energy is free. That’s not the issue. The issue is whether or not we can use it without killing ourselves and everyone else on the planet. Let’s try to use our energy as efficiently as possible and with the least amount of emissions.”
Supporting the students
The SmartState Center not only propels the future of the state, but also supports the future of the students who work there.
“The big deal here is that students have the opportunity and support they need. This is not just graduates, but undergraduates,” Reifsnider said. “This is a chance for our students to take their place in society in an important field.”
Rogers is one of the undergraduates to benefit from this program. He started as a first-year student at USC three years ago planning to study mechanical engineering and hoping to work in the automobile industry after he graduated.
He saw the SmartState Center’s three-wheeled, chemical electric vehicle in the Horizon Garage one day, and knew he wanted to be involved. He ended up switching his major to chemical engineering and starting work at the center his next year. When he first started working, the car operated on a plug-in electric battery. Now he and other SmartState Center employees plan to install a fuel cell within the next few months. They will then test it out at Historic Columbia Speedway.
Rogers really enjoys “the opportunity to sit there and learn by doing.” He’s learned that the university offers many different opportunities for students to prepare for their future, but he has never regretted working at the SmartState Center.
“I would say my favorite part is definitely working with Dr. Reifsnider because he is such an intelligent person and you get to learn from his experiences,” Rogers said. “For me personally this was the best way for me to apply my studies and get my hands dirty and see what real research engineering is like.”
Being able to see students like Rogers accomplish their dreams is what gets Reifsnider up in the morning.
“I get my biggest thrill from the students. They don’t suspect really that there is this opportunity,” Reifsnider said. “That’s why I’m sitting here at this old age. Just seeing the young students take advantage of this opportunity is our biggest accomplishment.”