MIT to open energy resource center

General Science / Other

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is working with a German research firm to open a sustainable energy center near the college, the school announced.

MIT President Susan Hockfield said that in conjunction with Germany's Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft research group, the school would be opening the MIT-Fraunhofer Center for Sustainable Energy Systems, The Boston Globe reported Sunday.

Partially funded by the German government, Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft currently operates more than 80 research sites around the world.

Officials said the new energy site would create nearly 60 new jobs initially, but center managing director Nolan Browne said the main benefit would be solar technological research.

"The end goal of all of these projects is to drive the dollar-per-watt down," Browne said. "If you can do that, it's a big win."

The Globe said the center will initially be funded through $5 million from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative and an additional $1 million from the National Grid, an international energy company.

Copyright 2008 by United Press International

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