Governor Tours Energy Center on Campus

Gov. Perdue tours the EPIC building with EPIC Director Johan Enslin (right) and Bob Johnson (left), dean of the William States Lee College of Engineering.

During a visit to the UNC Charlotte campus on Thursday,  Oct. 25, Gov. Beverly Perdue toured the University’s new Energy Production and Infrastructure Center (EPIC) along with two of her top advisors. During her visit, the governor met with students and faculty members and she also got a close-up look at some of EPIC’s cutting-edge sustainability features and technologies.

Chancellor Philip L. Dubois presented Perdue with a framed photo of the EPIC building and thanked the governor for her support of UNC Charlotte and leadership in efforts to grow the state’s energy cluster. Also on hand to greet Perdue were UNC Charlotte Board of Trustees Chairman Gene Johnson; Bob Johnson, dean of the William States Lee College of Engineering;  EPIC Director Johan Enslin;  and members of the EPIC Advisory Board.

EPIC is headquartered in a new $76 million building on the Charlotte Research Institute campus. EPIC also will further position Charlotte as the nation’s energy capital because of more than 240 energy-oriented organizations and more than 26,000 energy-oriented employees in its 16 counties.  It is a partnership between UNC Charlotte, state and local governments, and corporations, including several energy companies with major footprints in the Charlotte area. 

Along with corporate partners, the state of North Carolina also committed millions of dollars in funding to build the EPIC building and for ongoing support for new faculty members at the center.  

Considered critical to training new engineers and conducting research in energy technologies, EPIC will serve the diverse needs of existing and new energy companies, further positioning Charlotte as the nation’s energy hub. As the new home for Civil and Environmental Engineering, as well as Electrical and Computer Engineering, EPIC is a collaborative, state-of-the-art teaching and research facility. The EPIC building was designed with an eye toward sustainability, incorporating chilled-beam cooling, rainwater harvesting, drought-tolerant landscaping, sun-shading on the windows, day lighting, local building materials, and low-emitting furnishings.

Before departing, Perdue also got a brief tour of UNC Charlotte’s new football facility.

                                                                             ###