October 31, 2003
Great Lakes IT Report

The Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center will open in mid-November, according to Grand Valley State University and Workstage L.L.C., a Grand Rapids real estate development, design and building firm. The 26,000-square-foot building in Muskegon is believed to be the first commercial building to receive 100 percent of its energy needs from alternative sources. The center aims to research and demonstrate advanced, emerging energy products and services. Included are photovoltaics, a fuel cell that turns natural gas into electricity, provided by FuelCell Energy, Inc. of Danbury, Conn., and a nickel metal hydride battery storage system. All this allows the center to operate "off the grid." Dr. Imad Mahawili, executive director of center, said he hopes that eventually, the center will be able to use biomass fuel converted from farm waste into methane to power the fuel cell. Workstage officials say one energy-saving technique is underfloor air distribution, which can reduce energy consumption by 10-20 percent because less fan energy is required. Other elements include lighting that dims automatically if daylight provides sufficient illumination. Mahawili is a prolific inventor who holds 16 patents and has another five pending. Most recently, he served as founder, president and chief executive officer of Micro C Technologies, Inc. and IsoComforter Co. Mahawili began his work as a chemical engineer in 1974, developing chemical feedstock from coal for the chemical industry as a consequence of the 1973 energy crisis.  More about Workstage at www.workstage.com.