The current rate of energy use on campus is growing at a rate slower than growth of gross square footage. Sustainable solutions, such as the use of solar panels in powering the Campus Recreation Center and Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons, reduce reliance on traditional energy sources.
Energy and sustainable infrastructure is one of Georgia Tech's Core Research Areas. Research on energy policy, conservation, and alternative sources occur in every college at Georgia Tech. For example, Marilyn Brown, professor in the School of Public Policy, specializes in energy policy and technology forecasting. In a recent report, she worked to identify least-cost clean power pathways that would lower household electricity bills and reduce carbon pollution for states in light of new EPA standards.
Georgia Tech also houses numerous research centers dedicated to the development of alternative energy, including:
- Center for Innovative Fuel Cell and Battery Technologies (FC/BT)
- Center for Organic Photonics and Electronics (COPE)
- Georgia Tech Research Institute: Energy and Environment Research
- Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems
- National Electric Energy Testing Research and Applications Center (NEETRAC)
- Strategic Energy Institute (SEI)
- University Center for Excellence in Photovoltaics