Researcher Gets $500,000 Grant for Renewable Energy

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A researcher at the University of Louisville is receiving a $500,000 grant from the National Science Foundation for renewable energy research.

Joshua Spurgeon does his research in the Conn Center for Renewable Energy Research in the J.B. Speed School of Engineering. He focuses on the production of hydrogen fuel from water with solar energy. The fuel has no greenhouse gas emissions.

Spurgeon will work to make the type of fuel more economically competitive.

Mahendra Sunkara, director of Conn Center, said if the technology is successful, it could “revolutionize the energy industry.”

The funding spread over five years comes from the NSF's Faculty Early Career Development program.