Research Profiles
Kenneth Reifsnider
Scientist sees fuel cells in America’s future
High prices at the gas pump are a constant reminder that the United States is in the midst of an energy
crisis—a crisis that won’t be solved without the development of alternative forms of energy.
“It’s a crisis not just from an availability-of-supply standpoint but also from the standpoint of our courage to make difficult decisions regarding the future of how we use energy,” says Kenneth Reifsnider, director of the University of South Carolina’s new Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) program, a professor of mechanical engineering, and a member of the prestigious National Academy of Engineering.
Resources and partnerships
Reifsnider joins the University’s College of Engineering and Computing this summer from the Connecticut
Global Fuel Cell Center at the University of Connecticut, where he was center director. Reifsnider was
attracted to South Carolina for several reasons, not the least of which is that it is home to the
nation’s first and only National Science Foundation Industry/University Cooperative Research
Center dedicated to fuel-cell technology.
Reifsnider also is impressed by South Carolina’s demonstrated commitment to research and the partnership that exists among the University, the city of Columbia, and the state of South Carolina. “I think that’s unusual,” he says. “Many states have elements of that partnership, but it’s quite rare, and maybe even unique, to have this level of coordination and shared vision.”
Reifsnider’s SOFC program will be located in Innovista, and will collaborate with other research institutions, among them the Savannah River National Laboratory and various universities, including Clemson and Georgia Tech. “This will be very much a national and international effort,” Reifsnider says.
Fuel cell-powered future
Looking ahead to the SOFC program’s goal of advancing the development and commercialization of fuel cells,
Reifsnider sees room for hope in meeting future energy needs. “Fuel cells are not the essential element
[in solving the energy crisis],” he says, “but I can’t imagine dealing with the imperatives
of energy without fuel cells.”
Kenneth Reifsnider is director of the University of South Carolina’s new Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) program
Photo: University Marketing and CommunicationsRelated Links
Future Fuels™ Research
University’s alternative-energy research initiatives
NSF Industry/University Cooperative Research Center for Fuel Cells
Nation’s only NSF-funded industry-university center
College of Engineering and Computing
7 programs/degrees, including biomedical, nuclear, and chemical engineering
Savannah River National Laboratory
Applied R&D laboratory specializing in hydrogen storage
