LAFAYETTE -- An innovative educational energy center planned for Ivy Tech Community College’s Lafayette campus will provide an interactive learning experience in renewable energies, smart grid integration, and installation and maintenance of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. Purdue, Ener1, GE and Siemens International Education Group are contributing to the development of the center.

The center will be named the Craig Porter Energy Center in memory of the energy technology program chair who lost his life in an accident on campus on November 2. A scholarship has also been established to provide assistance to students in the energy technology program.

Ivy Tech will receive up to four EV charging stations from GE through their partnership with Purdue University. The charging stations will be powered by EnerDel lithium-ion batteries housed in smart energy distribution center. The batteries will be charged by two wind turbines towers, a vertical wind turbine, solar panels, and bio-diesel/hydrogen generators. Energy will be distributed via Siemens programmable logic controllers (PCL).The Porter Center will be entirely “off-grid” and not use any fossil fuels to generate electricity for the charging stations.

"Purdue University is pleased to partners with Ivy Tech on several key training initiatives within the State of Indiana. Working with the Siemens International Education Group is just one more example of Ivy Tech's innovative approach to train and ready our  Indiana citizens for the needs of tomorrow's global workforce,“ said J Eric Dietz, Associate Professor in Purdue's College of Technology and director of the Purdue Homeland Security Institute.