The newest research center of the Colorado Renewable Energy Collaboratory aims to find ways to directly convert the sun's energy to low-cost electricity and fuels. The Center for Revolutionary Solar Photoconversion (CRSP), announced today by Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter, U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar and the Collaboratory at the state Capitol in Denver, will be dedicated to basic and applied research at the Collaboratory's four member institutions, the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the Colorado School of Mines (CSM), Colorado State University (CSU) and the University of Colorado at Boulder (CU-Boulder).

Twelve companies also have joined CRSP as founding members, Applied Materials, Ascent Solar Technologies, DuPont, Evident Technologies, Konarka, Lockheed Martin, Motech Industries, QuantumSphere, Sharp, Solasta, Sub-One Technology and SunEdison.

NREL Senior Research Fellow Arthur Nozik will serve as scientific director of CRSP. Co-directors are CU's David Jonas, CSU's Mike Elliott and CSM's Craig Taylor.

"The creation of CRSP is the culmination of a two-year effort to form such a visionary R&D center devoted to revolutionary solar energy science and technology in Colorado," Nozik said. "It brings together many researchers at NREL, CU, CSU, and CSM in public-private partnership between state and federally funded institutions and private corporations."

Initial shared research projects will be selected by CRSP members and funded through membership fees and the Colorado Renewable Energy Authority. Decisions about which projects to fund are expected in the summer, with research beginning in the fall. In addition to shared research, CRSP's sponsored research program will allow any company member to contract with one or more of the research institutions directly.

This is the second center created by the Collaboratory, after the Colorado Center for Biorefining and Biofuels. The Collaboratory expects to announce additional centers in wind energy, carbon management and energy efficiency.