The UC Berkeley College of Engineering and Nextracker Inc. are partnering to launch the CAL-NEXT Center for Solar Energy Research, with the goal of developing sustainable, next-generation solar power plant technologies to meet rising global energy demand. Funded by a $6.5 million gift from Nextracker, this collaboration will support a leading-edge research program and planned state-of-the-art test field.
“By fostering collaboration between academia and industry, we aim to drive significant advancements in solar power technologies,” said Tarek Zohdi, Berkeley Engineering’s associate dean for research, a CITRIS-affiliated researcher and director of the new center. “Nextracker shares UC Berkeley’s ethos of public education, discovery and innovation, and this center will provide our faculty and students with a world-class research experience.”
“This center will not only accelerate innovation, but also develop the next generation of engineers and researchers at the forefront of the global solar energy revolution,” said Francesco Borrelli, professor of mechanical engineering, CITRIS researcher and co-director of the CAL-NEXT Center.