USMMA Alternative Power Program

APP HEADLINES

VIP's of LIPA, NYIT, Plug Power, Proton Energy,
EmPower CES, the DOE, DOT, and the USMMA
cut the ribbon and open the house to the public!

America's First Solar Hydrogen Home Inaugurated, June 19!
President Bush Gives Commencement Speech to Class of 2006

Immediately following graduation on June 19, the Alternative Power Program held a ribbon cutting ceremony to officially inaugurate America's First Solar Hydrogen Home! A PHOTO TOUR of (a) all events, (b) the actual ribbon cutting, and (c) a PRESS PACKET, are available here for download.

VIP speakers included: President Guiliano of NYIT, Chairman Richard Kessel of LIPA, Richard King the DOE Director of the Solar Decathlon, President Saillant of Plug Power, & President Schroeder of Proton Energy / Distributed Energy Systems.

BACKGROUND: Following its successful showing in this year’s DOE sponsored Solar Decathlon competition, the New York Institute of Technology’s Solar Hydrogen House was relocated from the contest site on the National Mall in Washington DC to its new home at the US Merchant Marine Academy. Kings Point students have completed reassembly of the home and its unique "Solar-Hydrogen" energy systems. This house will become an actual residence while continuing to be an alternative energy research facility and a show place accessible to the pubic. More...

APP Jointly Founds "New York Metropolitan Sustainable Energy Consortium"

President Bush delivers Commencement
Address for 2006 graduates.
Photo: Newsday

We hereby extend our friendly hello to the Bronx Community College, and Farmingdale State University of State University of New York! Together, on April 29, 2005, we laid the foundation for a great future by forming an alliance. Please visit the Partnerships page to read more about NYMSEC and its partners.

APP Launches New Website & Publishes First Mass-Distribution Newsletter

The first newsletter to our APP friends, partners, and extended family was published Monday December 19th 2005. This is a major milestone for us, as it represents our first time reaching out to the masses, both inside the government, and outside. Accordingly, welcome to our new and substantive website! Let this site be the link between our industry, our people, and the APP. If you would like to join the newsletter mailing list, please send us an email. Through it we will keep you abreast of our quickly moving endeavors. Thank you for your making all this possible. An on-line copy of the newsletter is available here.

Plug-Power Featured Speakers - Sachs & Schieren

On Friday December 16, Greg Sachs, Program Manager for the APP, and David Schieren, NYIT Energy Management student and CEO of an APP Partner Company EmPower CES (Clean Energy systems), spoke at the Plug Power All Employee Off-Site Meeting. In addressing nearly 400 employees Sachs and Schieren spoke of their experience on the National Mall with the GenCore fuel cell, manufactured by Plug. "The event was a great success," says Schieren of EmPower. "We have a great story to tell, and this is just the beginning. The vision is very alive and is well received at companies like Plug Power."

Seeking Help & Interns

The Alternative Power Program is seeking young professionals as interns. If you share our passion for promoting clean & sustainable energy, and would like to help bridge the gap between green power and the maritime industry, please contact us.

Program midshipmen gathered around hydrogen manifold

PROGRAM ABSTRACT

The Alternative Power Program (APP) operates within the United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) Department of Engineering. In short, the USMMA APP seeks to maintain a dynamic solar, wind, & hydrogen research & demonstration platform, from which stem a wide array of related activities. The APP and its laboratory will be used in support of the Academy's and the Maritime Administration's overall mission, with a focus on developing applications for clean, renewable, non-fossil fuel, energy systems. Our final emphasis is on maritime related activities, however, as marine engineers we are devoted to promoting all types of alternative & sustainable energy technologies.

Site Updated 1 July, 2006. Website first launched 18 January, 2005. By APP Program Manager Greg Sachs.