Press Release

Schumer, Gillibrand Announce Nearly $100,000 For Rochester Institute Of Technology

Jul 24, 2014

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today announced $98,888 in funding for Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) from the Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The funding will be used to complete phase II of their fuel cell research project. The project will focus on fuel cell integration and the funding will be used to create the design for a prototype residential power system, which will be used to power a lawn mower using fuel cell energy.

“With this funding, the Rochester Institute of Technology will be able to continue the topnotch research they have conducted for many years.  RIT will focus on its fuel cell research and designing innovative and energy efficient residential power systems,” said Senator Schumer. “This investment in RIT is an investment in New York State research and education  that will boost our economy in short- and long-term.”

“By supporting world-class research institutions like RIT, we can drive innovation,” said Senator Gillibrand. “RIT is leading the way in clean energy research. Making smart investments in alternative energy exploration helps create a sustainable, clean energy sector in New York and fuels local economic growth.”

“Rochester Institute of Technology’s Golisano Institute for Sustainability (GIS) appreciates the confidence of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, along with Senators Schumer and Gillibrand, for their continued support of our important fuel cell research here at the university,” said Nabil Nasr, Associate Provost and Director of GIS. “As we have already discovered in two earlier phases of this project, the use of fuel cell technology for residential power applications has tremendous promise for reducing our carbon footprint and we’re excited to leverage this earlier work in the final phase of this program. We’re convinced that a successful demonstration utilizing this platform will provide a solid foundation upon which a more versatile residential power system — with many applications — will be developed.”

Rochester Institute of Technology will use this federal funding to start phase II of the project at the Golisano Institute for Sustainability. The funding will be used to focus on Fuel Cell Integration and Prototype Residential Power System studies. The programs goals are to utilize this platform to provide a solid foundation for more versatile residential power systems that can be vastly used.  Residential power system fuel cells are an environmentally safe energy form that has potential to replace hydrocarbon combustion. Fuel cells produce electricity through chemical reactions and provide alternative sources to current energy and power sources. 

The National Institute of Standards and Technology program’s goal is to develop technology roadmaps that strengthen U.S. manufacturing and innovation across industries. The projects generated from these awards span a variety of industries and technologies, from flexible-electronics manufacturing and biomanufacturing to forming and joining technologies.