We've been paving the way from the beginning.

UMass Lowell was one of the first universities in the United States to offer solar engineering courses in 1977 and has continued to conduct research in renewable energy for nearly half a century. 

We have decades of experience partnering with industry and government agencies to bring technology from the lab bench to the real world, and now we need your help to be able to continue this important work at the Center for Energy Innovation (CEI).

Together we can shape a cleaner, greener future for the next generation.

WindSTAR is Pioneering Wind Energy Technology in the USA

Since 2014, the University of Massachusetts Lowell has led the only National Science Foundation-funded research center in the United States focused on wind energy. 

The Center for Wind Energy Science, Technology and Research, or WindSTAR, works with wind industry companies and stakeholders to solve key challenges faced across the wind industry. WindSTAR focuses on improving wind turbine performance, reliability, material components, environmental impacts, manufacturing, modeling and cost reduction to help make wind energy more widely available.

How Your Donation Makes an impact

Benard Tabu connects a solar panel to lab equipment in the Perry Energy Lab. Image by Pat Piasecki Photography

Renewable Energy Technology

  • Increasing energy efficiency while reducing operations, maintenance, and capital costs
  • Enhancing the durability of renewable systems for harsh environments
  • Improving the performance of renewables in variable climates
  • Developing recycling pathways for composite waste and energy components

Closeup view of an active low-temperature plasma reaction. Image by Pat Piasecki Photography

Cleaner Energy Generation

  • Harvesting energy from waste streams, like plastics
  • Inventing novel pathways for carbon capture, sequestration, and carbon-neutral fuel generation
  • Developing cleaner and safer nuclear power generation

Student in a lab coat and wearing glasses and a mask working on Fermentation in a laboratory

Reducing the Impact of Waste and Energy

  • Upcycling waste into value-added products
  • Developing new materials to reduce energy demand, including improved insulation
  • Advancing technology for retrofitting buildings to lower energy consumption
A train blurs at high speed against a sunset in front of electrical towers.

Energy Distribution and Storage

  • Optimizing existing grid infrastructure
  • Improving power recovery and resiliency to support large-scale clean energy adoption
  • Increasing energy storage capacity with fuel cells and novel solid boosters
  • Upgrading the security of energy grid systems to cyberattacks
Professor demonstrates lab equipment to students wearing protective gear.


Preparing the Energy Workforce

Our Master's and Doctoral students in the Renewable Energy Engineering Graduate Program are developing novel innovations in clean energy technology. Your contributions support student scholarships, materials and supplies, experimental testing and more to help develop the next generation of energy industry leaders.

Students helping install a solar PV system on the roof of school for at-risk youth.

Pursuing Global Energy Access

The Center for Energy Innovation collaborates with global partners in developing nations around the world. We work with local leaders and train community members to install and maintain renewable energy systems, improving health and education outcomes as well as quality of life. 

We’ve connected in Peru, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Uganda and more, with plans to expand this work even further.

Make A Difference

Every dollar you give helps create tangible progress and innovation, driving energy solutions from concepts to impactful real-world technologies.