The Appalachian Energy Center is partnering with Appalachian State University's Department of Sustainable Technology and the Built Environment, the Office of Rural Promise, and myFutureNC on the Trades Pathways Initiative, a collaborative effort to strengthen Western...
Nexus Project updates: Spring 2026 Biochar Field Application | Corn Field Trials This spring, the Nexus team is evaluating corn ear yield to assess the impact of biochar-based treatments on crop productivity using a randomized complete block design and replicating...
Co-composted biochar field trial (corn harvest) Supported by the Southern SARE On-Farm Research program, this project is testing the use of biochar in local farm fields to better understand its effects on soil health and crop production. With support from the...
Appalachian Energy Center Director Dr. Jamie Russell is spearheading plans for a study on the feasibility of installing microgrids to armor some schools against prolonged power outages — especially because school buildings tend to be places where residents congregate...
From Response to Resilience: Lessons from Tropical Storm Helene Date/Time: Tuesday, September 30 4:30-5:30 pm Location: Katherine Harper Hall, Room 17 Visit the Energy Center Sustainable Energy Speaker Series page for more information. Western North Carolina continues...
Turning Hurricane Debris into Biochar at Mountainwise Farm Mountainwise Farm faced significant damage from Hurricane Helene, including downed trees and the loss of several high tunnels. In response, the Nexus team brought three Oregon kilns and a Ring of Fire to the...
Dr. Jeremy Ferrell, Nexus Project Leader and Associate Professor at the Dept. of STBE, and STBE graduate student Joe Rebilas conducted a study of 2023 data that compared the environments of different types of greenhouses and analyzed the collected data. This...
Appalachian Energy Center is excited to announce a new specialized training program in North Carolina offered by Phius. Phius Trades Training provides building construction professionals with the specialized knowledge and expertise necessary to implement passive...
Direct solar PV hot water for hydroponic system Nexus designed a direct solar PV water heating system using the existing PV array installed in the greenhouse. The original system included eight 195W panels wired into four sets in parallel and two in series, forming...
Kempower's U.S. Head of Partners and Support presented insight into the future of EV charging and infrastructure, and North Carolina's vital role in that vision, to students and faculty. Ashley Edwards visited App State in September to present the plans and progress...
Nexus Research Explores Readily Available Resources That Enhance Results Biochar- Anaerobic Digestion of Food Waste Food waste contains a variety of substrates, making it difficult to maintain optimal process conditions during anaerobic digestion (AD)1. Biochar's high...
“We have just experienced the hottest 10 years of our existence,” Mike Kapp said. “Things are moving in the wrong direction and we need to do something about it.” Kapp presented on Tuesday afternoon as part of The Sustainable Energy Speaker Series, an ongoing...
Nexus Project Experiments Continue to Advance Agricultural Innovations 1. Biochar Preparation: Wet Biochar Crushing Biochar particle size has a great impact on its physical properties such as total porosity and BET surface area, which enhance water-holding capacity...
Held June 7-9, the 11th annual Appalachian Energy Summit convened hundreds of sustainability professionals, faculty, administrators, and students at App State for an immersive, solution-oriented experience focusing on clean energy and sustainability issues. The...
The Appalachian Energy Center is pleased to welcome Kate Bashford to the team. Kate will serve as the Clean Energy and Storage Project Manager for STEPs4GROWTH, a four-year, $23.7 million statewide workforce development program funded by the Department of...
Last semester, Nexus served App State and the greater community as a center for education, research, and outreach. A total of 16.5 hours of field days were conducted at Nexus, including five App State classes, one tour for App State’s Renewable Energy Initiative...
The Nexus group has successfully carried out several projects to improve the energy efficiency of the high-tunnel greenhouse. The team improved insulation and ventilation systems, installed solar-thermal heating for the hydroponics, and modeled an Earth-Air Heat...
Project outcomes from the 2019 Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SSARE) On-Farm grant to the Nexus team "reinvent the heated greenhouse." Read more here.
The Nexus group launched two research projects this year at their existing facility located at the Watauga County landfill. The team is working on an energy efficiency retrofit to improve the insulation and ventilation systems and performing a feasibility study with...
The Nexus team continues its work designing and evaluating technological solutions to extend the growing season for small-scale farmers in Southern Appalachia. The team will soon complete the second year of an on-farm pilot of two systems, one at Springhouse Farm and...