{"id":185,"date":"2020-04-14T19:25:34","date_gmt":"2020-04-14T19:25:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wwwdev.smca.ucf.edu\/research\/?page_id=185"},"modified":"2026-02-04T21:11:38","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T21:11:38","slug":"energy-conversion-propulsion","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/research\/energy-conversion-propulsion\/","title":{"rendered":"Renewable Energy and Chemical Transformation (REACT)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½\u2019s Renewable Energy and Chemical Transformation Cluster, or REACT, is developing new, alternative materials for catalysis to power technology and chemical processes that are safe for people and the environment.<\/p>\n<p>The production of electricity from renewable sources, like\u00a0solar, is\u00a0a\u00a0cost-competitive\u00a0alternative to\u00a0fossil-fuel-generated electricity, and alternatively powered\u00a0forms of\u00a0transportation are rapidly gaining acceptance.<\/p>\n<p>Essential to harnessing these forms of alternative energy is research into the materials needed to produce and store them.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"h5 mt-4\">Valuable Partnerships<\/h2>\n<p>Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ and Florida already have large investments in energy and propulsion technologies (Siemens, Mitsubishi, Lockheed Martin, GE\/Alstom, Pratt &amp; Whitney, Aerojet Rocketdyne, Space-X and ATK), and more recently with the Florida Advanced Manufacturing Research Center. These local investments benefit from closer connections to ongoing research at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½, enabled by existing links to Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½\u2019s Florida Solar Energy Center and Center for Advanced Turbines and Energy Research.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"h5 mt-4\">History of High Impact<\/h2>\n<p>Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ has a history of implementing high-impact, entrepreneurially focused curricula. Most recently, the university worked closely with the DoE on implementing two cleantech-focused efforts \u2013 an annual cleantech accelerator, which was designed to identify and support promising cleantech\u00a0technologies throughout the Southeast, and the Florida Cleantech Acceleration Network, which created a statewide support network and \u201cproof of concept\u201d center for cleantech entrepreneurs. These programs served more than 200 ventures that went on to raise more than $5 million in follow-on funding on their paths to commercialization.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"h5 mt-4\">Overcoming Obstacles<\/h2>\n<p>National investments are starting to yield important advances, and clean energy is becoming economically competitive. In fact, utility solar and rooftop solar power are\u00a0actually cheaper\u00a0than electricity-generated fossil fuels. However, there are still critical obstacles that require investment, especially in areas related to energy conversion and storage \u2013 all of which this cluster helps to\u00a0address.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"h5 mt-4\">Highlighted Publication<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cSelective and sustainable quinoline hydrogenation with a robust hierarchical catalyst framework\u201d, Akihiro Kushima, Ph.D., Parag Banerjee, Ph.D., Titel Jurca, Ph.D., Catalysis Science and Technology: Jul, 2025 <a href=\"https:\/\/pubs.rsc.org\/en\/content\/articlelanding\/2025\/cy\/d5cy00675a\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/d5cy90069g.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-5850\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1654\" height=\"2166\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-5850 img-fluid\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/d5cy90069g.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/d5cy90069g.jpg 1654w, https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/d5cy90069g-229x300.jpg 229w, https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/d5cy90069g-782x1024.jpg 782w, https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/d5cy90069g-768x1006.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/d5cy90069g-1173x1536.jpg 1173w, https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/d5cy90069g-1564x2048.jpg 1564w, https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/d5cy90069g-305x400.jpg 305w, https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/d5cy90069g-275x360.jpg 275w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1654px) 100vw, 1654px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½\u2019s Renewable Energy and Chemical Transformation Cluster, or REACT, is developing new, alternative materials for catalysis to power technology and chemical processes that are safe for people and the environment. The production of electricity from renewable sources, like\u00a0solar, is\u00a0a\u00a0cost-competitive\u00a0alternative to\u00a0fossil-fuel-generated electricity, and alternatively powered\u00a0forms of\u00a0transportation are rapidly gaining acceptance. Essential to harnessing these forms of&hellip;","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-template-cluster.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"class_list":["post-185","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","category-cluster"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Energy Conversion &amp; Propulsion | Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Faculty Cluster Initiative<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"This cluster is designed to transform Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ into a global leader in energy-related research, in the discovery &amp; application of materials.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/research\/energy-conversion-propulsion\/\" \/>\n<meta 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