We aim to join efforts and share resources to tackle crucial and wide-ranging energy challenges by taking a holistic and interdisciplinary approach, bringing together individuals and groups with different skillsets and experiences with the common goal of advancing energy technology that benefits society.

To accomplish this, our R&D team includes researchers from 7 programs within 3 colleges at Western Michigan University with expertise in a wide range of up-to-date and interrelated topics.

The Center primarily targets four aspects of society centered work. 

Decarbonization challenges of energy systems that consider not only technical achievements but environmental, social, economic, and ethical aspects. 

Decentralization of energy production to realize more efficient, more reliable, less costly, and cleaner energy with a quantifiable societal impact. 

Democratization of energy production to strengthen local energy ownership involving prosumers, small renewable energy co-operatives and community-owned power generation stations that can reduce the need for fossil-fuel-based energy plants and substitute and/or support centralized plants, improving grid resiliency.  

Digitalization of energy production information to improve the sustainability of energy systems by maximizing their operating efficiency while also recognizing the threat of cyber-attacks and the need for more secure, resilient, and reliable information systems.