Opening of Off-grid SERF to Feature Instructional Tours

FROSTBURG, Md. – Frostburg State University in Western Maryland will "cut the cord" on its completely off-grid Sustainable Energy Research Facility (SERF) on Monday, Oct. 29, at 10 a.m. at 5 Technology Drive in the Allegany Business Center at Frostburg State University (ABC@FSU). This invitation-only event is open to members of the media. People can also track the event by following @frostburgstate on Twitter and checking out the #fsuserf hashtag.

SERF will be home to a wide variety of renewable energy research projects, while also serving as an instructional building for classes related to renewable energy. The 6,300-square-foot building itself will be a demonstration and test center, as it will be entirely off-grid, powered and heated with all renewable sources, a combination of solar, wind, passive solar and hydrogen fuel cell technology. The building also features a variety of conservation and energy storage options and will continue to develop as new technologies are added.

On the day of the "cord-cutting," in which an electrical cord will be cut instead of a ribbon, attendees will be able to tour the building, with graduate and undergraduate students and faculty members providing added information at various stations throughout the facility. Dr. Oguz Soysal and Ms. Hilkat Soysal, co-directors of the FSU Renewable Energy Center and faculty in the FSU Department of Physics and Engineering, will be on hand and available to answer media questions.

The facility is believed to be the nation's only totally off-grid building dedicated to the research of renewable energy generation. Individual homeowners, farmers or small businesses located in this Appalachian region (or one with similar geographic features) are expected to benefit from its research.

The construction, equipping and staffing of SERF has been supported by two grants from the U.S. Department of Energy totaling nearly $1.6 million, obtained with the assistance of U.S. Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-Md.). Additional support has come from Frostburg State University, Constellation Energy and Maryland Industrial Partnerships (MIPS).

More information about SERF and renewable energy research at Frostburg can be found here: http://www.fsuwise.org/renewable/SERF/.

Situated in the mountains of Allegany County, Frostburg State University is one of the 12 institutions of the University System of Maryland. FSU is a comprehensive, residential regional university and serves as an educational and cultural center for Western Maryland. For more information, visit www.frostburg.edu or facebook.com/frostburgstateuniversity. Follow FSU on Twitter @frostburgstate.