Pike Powers Laboratory & Center for Commercialization

Opening in 2013, The Pike Powers Laboratory and Center for Commercialization will offer specialized capabilities for developing, testing and validating consumer electronics and applications that incorporate metrology, building controls, solar PV, natural gas fuel cell, machine-to-machine, vehicle charging and disaggregation technologies.

Named after one of Texas’ most iconic champions of technology and economic development, the lab is located in the Mueller community in the shadow of the former Mueller Municipal Airport’s air traffic control tower.  Pecan Street is conducting one of the country’s most advanced consumer energy research programs, and many of the participating homes are located in the Mueller community.

Pike Powers (left), builder Alan Muskin and Pecan Street’s Brewster McCracken touring the Pike Powers Lab construction site in September.

The nation’s first non-profit smart grid research lab, it will serve as an elite industry-caliber facility for members of the Pecan Street Research Consortium, where Pecan Street staff and university students and researchers can collaborate with the private sector on cutting-edge applied research.

Learn how you can help support our work at the Pike Powers Lab.

The lab was designed by a team of Austin and UT architects, including Matt Fajkus, Ulrich Dangel and Tamie Glass from the UT School of Architecture, Atila Novoselac from UT’s Department of Architectural and Environmental Engineering, and Michael Hsu and Kevin Stewart from Michael Hsu Office of Architecture. The Muskin Company is building the facility.

The Pike Powers Lab will be driven by three priorities:  commercialization, research and education.

Commercialization

Entrepreneurial researchers and start-up companies from will have the opportunity to commercialize innovative research at the lab. Examples of commercialization activities made possible by the lab include:

The ability to test, refine and demonstrate prototypes and bring advanced products to market, such as new electric vehicle chargers with integrated demand management and energy monitoring

Utilization of the lab’s unique infrastructure to conduct field-testing on new technologies, like advanced home energy storage and management systems that will keep a home powered during utility outages

Research

The lab’s university-caliber testing facility will bring together member companies, entrepreneurs and researchers to carry out industry-university research. Members will have access to the most robust consumer energy data set in the country.  The lab also provides the opportunity for original utility-focused research, such as the opportunity for utilities to plan for the future by testing new equipment in the lab and measuring grid impacts.  For utility and other companies, the lab will provide a safe location to test new technologies and novel configurations before testing in homes.

Education

Contributor financial support will fund scholarships and stipends for university students to carry out research in the lab and will serve as a resource among the smart grid community. Work at the lab, for example, will spur the production of educational materials to teach policymakers about smart grid technology and energy conservation, as well as materials on commercialization and testing for entrepreneurs, start-ups and the academic community.

Pecan Street’s programming will also include STEM Education components for college and high school students studying in the energy, wireless and consumer electronics technology fields.

If you are a start-up company or University of Texas researcher interested in accessing the lab, please contact Lab Director Scott Hinson at 512-782-9213 or lab@pecanstreet.org.

If you are interested in supporting the lab’s programming, visit our Sponsorship and Support Opportunities page or contact Finance Director Ed Hattrup at 512-782-9213 or ehattrup@pecanstreet.org.