Energy-Quest (formerly The Hydrogen Expedition) was an organization that sought to educate the public about the risks of an impending energy crisis due to the current worldwide dependence on fossil fuels and the benefits of energy conservation and the use of renewable energy sources. It intended to do so through a series of three record-setting ocean voyages:

1. The Earthrace
2. The Aurora Expedition
3. The Triton Expedition

Started and staffed by university students, the project was endorsed by several organizations and prominent individuals.

The Earthrace

The Earthrace will be an attempt to break the speed record for circumnavigating the globe in a powerboat while using only renewable fuels. It is being supported by over 100 companies, and is led by New Zealander Pete Bethune. Energy-Quest is providing organizational and fundraising assistance to the Earthrace in the United States.

The Aurora Expedition

The Aurora Expedition will involve an around-the-world voyage in a powerboat which, at 20 ft, will be the smallest vessel of its kind to ever complete such a journey. Due to its limited fuel capacity, the Aurora will rely on advanced fuel-efficient technologies for propulsion. Energy-Quest thus seeks to incorporate highly clean and efficient diesel engines, solar cells, and wind turbines into this design.

Aurora will stop at over forty major ports around the world, where she will showcase the cleanest and most efficient energy technologies available at the time, and her crew will promote the widespread use of such technologies. Ultimately, the Aurora Expedition is intended as a stepping stone towards the completion of the organization's final and most important endeavor – the Triton Expedition.

The Triton Expedition

The Triton Expedition will be the first circumnavigation of the world by a boat powered solely by a hydrogen fuel cell. Triton will stop at major destinations around the world, where her crew will meet with local political and industrial leaders to promote the importance of alternative energy development. Through Triton's voyage, Energy-Quest hopes to generate international media attention, and in this way stimulate the development of a renewable energy-based hydrogen economy.

History

The project was started in the summer of 2005 by Joseph F. Sahid, a graduate of the Phillips Exeter Academy and currently a sophomore at the University of Pennsylvania. He soon was joined by other volunteers, and an official team was rapidly assembled. The Energy Quest program has been now been discontinued.

The Danish Organisation for Renewable Energy (OVE) is a non-governmental, non-profit, membership based association. OVE was founded in 1975 based on a popular movement for renewable energy in Denmark with close relationship to the anti-nuclear movement (OOA), which had an immense popular backup.

Aim

OVE’s aim is to work for a resource- and environment-conscious energy policy through grassroots initiatives to reach 100 % renewable energy supply in Denmark by 2030.

Objectives

OVE has a strong engagement:

• to influence the development of the Danish energy policy to be more resource- and environment-conscious especially by facilitating the use of renewable energy.
• to get the people informed of their possibilities to make their own action by installing renewable-energy systems in their own homes or institutions in Denmark.

Structure

Members: - Danish individuals who are users of renewable energy, as well as of groups, high schools, and companies working for renewable energy in Denmark. A special category of the members are the local Energy and Environment Offices, local popular information centers. In total, OVE has about 2500 members.

Decisions: - OVE's main decisions are made at the yearly General Assembly of the members and the bimonthly Board Meetings. The Members of the Board is elected at the General Assembly. The Chairman is elected by the Board.

Information: - The members are informed through a bimonthly magazine, in several subject-specific meetings, and a web site.

Activities in Denmark

Political Lobbying

• Seeking to be represented in the energy related law and regulation formulating processes through hearings and committees.
• Evaluating and producing policy and campaign papers on renewable energy issues.

Information Dissemination

• Publishing a Danish bi-monthly magazine "Renewable Energy and Environment" (In Danish: Vedvarende Energi & Miljø for the members.
• Offering a homepage with keys to literature, demonstration plants, companies and other relevant sites on the internet in Danish.
• Promoting information campaigns and giving advice in a close co-operation with the offices of “Energy Services” and “Local Energy and Environmental Offices (SEK)” e.g., the "Campaign for converting houses from electric heating systems into more environmental friendly energy sources like renewable energy" or Energy efficient windows”.
• Involved in the Schools Energy Forum (SEF) aiming to implement more and better education on energy and environmental matters. Through SEF, OVE is partner to the Climate Caravan, which is offering educational possibilities in the schools in 98 municipalities of Denmark.
• Organising seminars, meetings at which technicians and users share knowledge and experiences. The main topics discussed are wind power, solar energy, biogas, energy efficiency, and renewable energy in green cities, along with integration of renewable energy into energy systems such as those for local cogeneration of heat and power.

Cooperation in Denmark

OVE has gone into co-operation with many other organisations interested in energy in Denmark. Among others:

• OVE’s bi-monthly magazine is published in cooperation with National Association for Organic Building and the Association of Energy Offices (SEK).
• OVE is one of the 20 members of the Danish 92-Group (In Danish: 92-gruppen) where Danish environment and development organisations are cooperating since the UNCED Conference preparations in 1992. E.g., OVE was made a Climate Campaign in 2002 in cooperation with Greenpeace-Danmark, WWF-Denmark, Nature and Youth (in Danish: Natur og Ungdom), The Ecological Council (in Danish: Økologisk Råd), and FEU.

Cooperation internationally

• OVE is active in projects in Europe, Asia and Africa to defend environment and decrease poverty. OVE has or has had projects in Thailand, Vietnam, Mozambique, Mongolia and in South Africa in co-operation with local NGOs.

OVE plays a significant role in international networking among NGOs. OVE is member of:

• INFORSE-Europe, International Network for Sustainable Energy, a NGO network with its International Secretariat based in Denmark, and with 7 Regional Co-ordinators in different continents. OVE is one of the founders of INFORSE in 1992.
• CAN-Europe, Climate Action Network - Europe, a NGO Network with a Secretariat based in Brussels, Belgium. ^[11]
• European ECO-forum Pan-European network of NGOs on environment

The American Wind and Wildlife Institute (AWW) is a U.S. nonprofit organization that seeks to encourage the development of wind energy while preserving wildlife habitats that are at risk of being disrupted during the development of wind farms. Located in Washington, D.C., AWWI was founded in November 2008 by a coalition of seven conservation and science organizations – including the Environmental Defense Fund. The Nature Conservancy and the Union of Concerned Scientists – and 13 wind industry companies. AWWI’s initiatives have included the development of wind siting maps and identifying potential biodiversity concerns created by wind energy projects.

The Mission of AWWI is to facilitate timely and responsible development of wind energy while protecting wildlife and wildlife habitat. We accomplish our mission through research, mapping, mitigation, and public education on best practices in wind farm siting and wildlife habitat protection. AWWI is a first-of-its-kind collaboration between the nation’s top science-based conservation and environmental groups, wind energy companies and government agencies.

The Plataforma Solar de Almería (PSA) is a center for the exploration of the solar energy. It was founded in the early 1980s and run by the centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (CIEMAT), its location is on the edge of the Tabernas Desert in the Spanish province of Almería.

Over 20,000 m² of mirrors are installed on a 100-acre site. There are several techniques tested under practical conditions, mainly solar thermal power plants. Hydrosol-2 is a solar power tower and a set of heliostats to collect the solar thermal energy.

The Plataforma Solar de Almeria, which belongs to the Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (CIEMAT), is the largest European center for research, development and testing of concentrating solar technologies. PSA activities are integrated as a Division of R&D within the structure of the CIEMAT’s Department of Energy.

The objectives that inspire its research activity are the following:

• Contribute to the establishment of a sustainable, clean, world energy supply.
• Contribute to conservation of European energy resources, climate and environment.
• Promote market introduction of solar thermal technologies and derived solar chemical processes.
• Contribute to development of a competitive European solar thermal export industry.
• Reinforce cooperation between the business sector and scientific institutions in the field of research, development, demonstration and marketing of the solar thermal technologies.
• Boost cost-reducing technological innovation, thus contributing to increased market acceptance of the solar thermal technologies.
• Promote North-South technological cooperation, especially in the Mediterranean Area.
• Assist industry in identifying market opportunities related to the solar thermal technologies.

The Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) is a research institute of the University of Central Florida, located on a 20 acre (.08 km²) research complex on Florida's Space Coast at UCF's Cocoa satellite campus. FSEC is the largest and most active state-supported renewable energy and energy efficiency research, training, testing and certification institute in the United States. The director of the institute is James M. Fenton, Ph.D.

FSEC's mission is to research and develop energy technologies that enhance Florida's and the nation's economy and environment, and to educate the public, students and practitioners on the results of the research. The Center has gained national and international recognition for its wide range of research, education, training and certification activities.

The Center's 150-member staff includes 95 professionals with expertise in engineering, energy research, building science, energy and policy analysis, and education and training. The remainder of the staff consists of technical and administrative support personnel and university student assistants. Research at FSEC is based on field monitoring, computer simulations and controlled experiments in highly-instrumented laboratories. These research efforts are developed in partnership with industry, nonprofit organizations, private sponsors and national laboratories.

In October 2009, the United States Department of Energy provided a $2.8 million grant to Solar Energy Center to help lead efforts to create and manage the newly created Solar Installer Instructor Training Network." The training network is a five-year effort intended to create a geographic blanket of training opportunities in solar installations across the United States. Its goals are to accelerate market adoption of solar technologies by ensuring that high-quality installations are standard and to create sustainable jobs within the solar installation industry. FSEC will operate the Southeast region of the seven-region network."

Centre for Renewable Energy (short: SFFE, from Norwegian Senter For Fornybar Energi) is a virtual research centre working on renewable energy research, nationally in Norway. The centre is established as a cooperation between the three research institutions the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), The Foundation for Scientific and Industrial Research (SINTEF) and The Institute of Energy Technology (IFE).

Research fields at the center include small scale hydropower, wind energy, solar energy, wave energy, and bio-energy as well as the social dimensions of energy use. Competence has recently been developed in ocean energy fields, especially research on offshore wind power and tidal power.

The Centre was established in 2002 due to a joint initiative from NTNU and SINTEF. In december 2005 IFE became an equivalent partner.

IIn SINTEF and IFE, SFFE is placed under the Management. At NTNU there are six strategic areas. SFFE is a centre under the strategic area Energy and Petroleum - Resources and Environment;

The operation of the centre is carried out by the coordinatior in cooperation with the management group. The management group consists of nine people chosen by The Board. Three of the members of the management group are from NTNU, four are from SINTEF and two are from IFE.

RES - The School for Renewable Energy Science is a private, non-profit, international graduate school located in the city of Akureyri in northern Iceland and shares its facilities with the University of Akureyri.

The school is a higher education institution offering a one-year M.Sc. in various renewable energy technologies, continuing education, and an undergraduate summer school program. All instructions and correspondence are in English.

Established in 2006, the school formally commenced its operations in April, 2007, through a series of Declarations of Cooperation with universities in Iceland, involving the Icelandic Ministry of Education. And other institutions and energy and engineering firms.

The school is owned and operated by Shareholders, a non-profit company whose shareholders include prominent energy and financial companies in Iceland.

Accreditation

RES graduates its students through its affiliation with the University of Iceland and the University of Akureyri. Both universities are accredited higher education institution in Iceland under the recent Higher Education Act in Iceland, No. 63/2006, for each of its academic subject areas. This accreditation covers RES's subject areas.

Academic program

RES offers an international program of graduate-level study in renewable energy science. All instructions and correspondence are in English.

RES offers a 90 credit M.Sc. degree in renewable energy science with five specializations; geothermal energy, fuel cell systems and technologies, biofuels and bioenergy, hydropower and energy systems and policies.

In the near future the school hopes to add more specializations in areas such as solar power, and wind and wave powe.

The graduate programme concludes in an MSc Degree in Renewable Energy Science, awarded in affiliation with Iceland's state universities: University of Iceland and the University of Akureyri.

Each area of specialization at RES consists of a series of intensive 1-3 week modules that carry 2-6 ECTS credits each. Each series of modules includes field trips to sites related to Iceland's energy industry, known for its use of renewable resources. Students take an exam following the completion of each module and a final exam at the end of the trimester.

The final degree requirement is a 30 credit Master's Thesis.

Faculty

Teaching staff of RES are researchers and professors from Iceland, energy experts from engineering and energy consulting firms, and various international experts from research universities in Europe, North and South America and Asia.

In the academic year, 2010-11, altogeter 65 international experts are teaching in the M.Sc. Degree Program, 35 from abroad and 30 Icelandic. In addition to the RES professors, 16 research scientists, primarily from Icelandic energy and engineering companies, acted as students' Thesis Advisors during the academic year 2009-10.

Students

During the first year of the M.Sc. Degree Program in Renewable Energy Science, 2008-9, RES graduated 30 candidates from 9 different countries - coming from Poland (16), Slovakia (3), Hungary (3), Slovenia (2), United States (2), Germany (1), Portugal (1), Estonia (1), and Russia (1).

During the second year, 2009-10, RES graduated 35 candidates from 11 countries in February 2010 - from Poland (14), United States (7), Mexico (3), Iceland (2), Slovakia (2), Hungary (2), Chile (1), Kazakhstan (1), Estonia (1), Finland (1), and Slovenia (1).

During the third year of the M.Sc. Degree Program, , RES is scheduled to graduate in February 2011 all togeter 49 candicates from 12 countries - coming from Poland (27), United States (8), Iceland (4), Canada (2), Spain (1), Estonia (1), Slovenia (1), Slovakia (1), Germany (1), Malaysia (1), France/Somalia (1), and Russia (1).

Tuition

Tuition for the M.Sc. programs at RES is 18.800 € for the full one-year program.

Scholarships & Grants at RES

Each academic year RES provides a limited number of RES Scholarships to exceptional students which have been accepted to the M.Sc. Degree Program. There are three types of RES Scholarships:

1. RES Scholarship Awards which are earmarked students coming from our partner universities in Europe, North-America and elsewhere. These awards are based on signed cooperation agreements between RES and each foreign partner university. The awards can include half (50%) or full (100%) tuition waivers.

2. RES Scholarship Awards for students applying to RES from non-partner universities or organizations. These awards include half (50%) tuition waivers. In few cases, and then primarily for students from developing countries this award can include full (100%) tuition waivers.

3. RES Scholarship Awards provided by a grant from the Icelandic National Power Company Landsvirkjun. These awards are only awarded to students enrolled in the Hydropower Specialization and include full (100%) tuition waivers for up to five students, each academic year.

None of these awards cover living expenses (accommodation and meals; flights to and from Akureyri, Iceland). Also it may be required that students cover additional costs related their thesis work such as travel costs, if their thesis research is not done in Iceland.

Admission & Requirements

Requirement for admission to the M.Sc. Program in Renewable Energy Science at RES is a B.Sc. degree with top grades in engineering or physical/natural sciences (chemistry, physics, geology, biotechnology, and related fields).

Students will have to demonstrate a good understanding of English, both in reading and writing. Applicants must prove their ability to follow a postgraduate course in English. The RES Academic Board evaluates each student's application, transcripts, letters of recommendations, and other supporting documents, and accepts those students for admission that fulfill all requirements for the M.Sc. Degree Program and have the highest grades.

Summer school

RES offers several summer courses for foreign students independently and also in collaboration with study-abroad organizations, such as the School for International Training. These courses combine classroom and field studies for a specialized two week program and also 6-8 week program.

The U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), located in Golden, Colorado, as part of the U.S. Department of Energy, is the United States' primary laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development.

Established in 1974, NREL began operating in 1977 as the Solar Energy Research Institute. Under the Carter administration, it was the recipient of a rather large budget and its activities went beyond research and development in solar energy as it tried to popularize knowledge about already existing technologies, like passive solar, amongst the population. In the Reagan years that followed the budget was cut by some 90%, many people 'reduced in force' and the activities reduced to R&D. In later years renewed interest in the energy problem improved the institute's position. But funding has fluctuated. In 2006 its funding had dropped to the point it was forced to lay off 32 workers. It was designated a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in September 1991 and its name changed to NREL. Since its inception it has been operated under contract by the Midwest Research Institute of Kansas City, Missouri.

NREL is the principal research laboratory for the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) which provides the majority of its funding. Other funding comes from DOE's Office of Science and Office of Electricity Transmission and Distribution.

NREL's areas of research and development expertise are:

• Renewable electricity
• Renewable fuels
• Integrated energy systems
• Strategic energy analysis

For 2009 funding is broken down between its major groups.

• Wind $33.9 million
• Biofuels $35.4 million
• Solar $72.4 million

NREL's Technology Transfer Office supports the practical deployment of technologies developed, and this often involves collaborative research projects and licensed technologies with public and private partners. NREL's innovative technologies have been recognized with 39 R&D 100 Awards. The engineering and science behind these technology transfer successes and awards demonstrates NREL's commitment to a sustainable energy future.

Dr. Dan E. Arvizu became NREL's eighth Laboratory Director in January 2005, and was previously an executive with CH2M HILL companies.

NREL PV R&D is performed under the National Center for Photovoltaics.

The Centre for Renewable Energy Systems Technology (CREST) is based in the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Loughborough University in the UK and is a research centre into renewable energy.

Established in 1993, it is recognised internationally as a centre of excellence in its field particularly in photovoltaic systems, materials and devices, wind power and integration of renewable energy into electricity grids. About fifty researchers, academics and associated staff are involved with CREST's work.

The MSc course in Renewable Energy Systems Technology, developed at CREST, is one of the longest established renewable energy masters courses globally. It is producing a stream of graduates who are working internationally in all aspects of the renewables industry. This course can be studied full-time or part-time distance learning. As an advanced technology course, the modules in the CREST MSc include biomass, wind, solar, water/marine and electrical integration. There is a strong emphasis on electrical generation throughout.The centre was initially set up through the funding of Professor Tony Marmont of Beacon Energy Beacon Energy, who remains a mentor and advisory committee member. Other advisory members include Sir Jonathon Porritt and Dr Andrew Garrad of Garrad Hassan & Partners Ltd. Professor Phil Eames is presently the Director of CREST and Leon Freris is a Visiting Professor. Professor Freris, together with Dr David Sharpe, a leading British wind turbine aerodynamicist who also worked at the centre, were both founding members of the British Wind Energy Association (now RenewableUK). David Sharpe has since become known for his work as the inventor of the Aerogenerator.

The Masters course is one of only sixteen programmes in the UK admitted to the Panasonic Fellowship programme (run by the Royal Academy of Engineering). The Panasonic Fellowship programme is aimed at recent graduates who wish to embark on a full-time Masters degree course in environmental studies or sustainable development.

CREST is a participating university in the EUREC European Masters Program in Renewable Energy an initiative supported by the European Commission to expand the European renewable energy industry.

The group is located in the Holywell Park area of the Loughborough campus, adjacent to the offices of the Energies Technology Institute (ETI).