EPB and Oak Ridge celebrate ten years with new energy project
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — On Friday, EPB and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) celebrated their ten years of partnership. In doing so, they announced a new “Collaborative for Energy Resilience and Quantum Science” project.
In this project, they plan to develop new technology and practices.
The goal is to strengthen their power distribution, make the nation’s power grid more secure, and make quantum technology profitable.
“Thanks to EPB’s investment in our community-wide fiber optic network more than a decade ago, Chattanooga leads as a hub of innovation where entrepreneurs thrive, jobs grow and companies want to locate,” said Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly. “We look forward to working with EPB and ORNL as we strive to keep our city on the cutting edge for generations.”
EPB and Oak Ridge have invested $180 million into energy-related research since they first partnered.
The two have collaborated on almost 30 projects. Some of those include energy models that optimize power distribution and early identification of equipment failures.
EPB says these projects help lower energy costs for customers and enhance reliability of their services.
Oak Ridge and EPB say these are their goals in this project:
- Lead the nation in quantum science and technology.
- Innovate energy security.
- Develop their workforce with K-12, community colleges, universities and businesses.
- Economic development, allowing East Tennessee to make a profit and create new quantum-related businesses.
“We have a responsibility to equip our workforce with the necessary skills to fill jobs of the future, particularly STEM-oriented careers, which will be a career pathway at the new Chattanooga High School,” said Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp. “I’m excited that in Hamilton County, students of all ages and backgrounds have opportunities to learn and grow in a place where the biggest ideas are pursued from EPB to ORNL.”
