JEA and UNF Advance Sustainable Solutions at Lab Opening

The University of North Florida (UNF) School of Engineering and JEA today celebrated the grand opening of the JEA Sustainable Solutions Lab. JEA has made a 5-year financial commitment of $500,000 that will provide UNF undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to research renewable energy and, eventually, clean water technologies, as well.

JEA and UNF share a common goal of ensuring a robust pool of trained and environmentally conscious engineers, scientists and other industry professionals to contribute to the responsible economic development of Northeast Florida. The lab will serve as a hub for research to develop long-range and lasting solutions for JEA and a variety of industries.

As JEA prepares for a more sustainable and distributed energy future, collaborations like these are critical to developing a workforce prepared to meet our community’s energy and water needs.

“JEA’s mission is to improve lives and build community, and this collaboration is a testament to that,” JEA Chief Operating Officer Raynetta Curry Marshall said at the ceremony. “The lab will help establish a pipeline of talented professionals ready to contribute to JEA’s clean energy goals for Northeast Florida.”

The collaboration between JEA and UNF began in 2001 with $500,000 in contributions made between 2001-2004. Since then, the JEA/UNF efforts have resulted in more than $18 million in federal, state, and private industry funded research at UNF.

JEA’s recent commitment of $500,000 will be made over five years, at a rate of $100,000 per year from 2023 – 27.

A small-scale 2-kilowatt microgrid solar panel system is under development at the lab site. UNF also has plans for a 40-kilowatt demonstration microgrid solar panel system.

JEA Chief Operating Officer Raynetta Curry Marshall and UNF President Moez Limayem celebrate the grand opening of the JEA Sustainable Solutions Lab.