BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Oregon State University-Cascades has launched the Energy Innovation Center in Bend to accelerate research and development in energy technologies. The center will focus on energy storage, carbon capture and abatement, and power generation and controls.
The new center is designed to help advance the work of entrepreneurs and companies focused on energy solutions. Campus leaders view the center as a demonstration of the university-industry partnerships possible at the campus’s future innovation district.
Zachary Taie, executive director, and Chris Hagen, co-director, lead the Energy Innovation Center. They leverage existing expertise in energy research at the OSU campus in Bend, as well as energy sector assets in Central Oregon and beyond.
The Energy Innovation Center occupies an 11,000 square-foot space located on Potts Court in District 2 of Northwest Crossing, Bend, about one mile from the OSU-Cascades campus. This facility includes a light industrial laboratory with access to 800 amps of 208 three-phase power.
The space also features tall ceilings and roll-up garage doors that can accommodate forklift access. Additionally, it provides meeting, conferencing and project space, and a kitchen for researchers and tenants.
Tenants at the center will gain access to various resources within Oregon State University. These resources include the Advantage team, which supports intellectual property licensing, and entrepreneurial training through the Advantage Accelerator. Tenants can also access additional manufacturing instrumentation through the Advanced Technologies and Manufacturing Institute.
Zachary Taie, the executive director of the Energy Innovation Center, earned a bachelor’s degree in energy systems engineering from OSU-Cascades. He also holds a master’s degree and a doctorate in mechanical engineering from OSU. During his doctoral studies, Taie received a fellowship from the U.S. Department of Energy to conduct research at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. He previously led a $35 million portfolio of projects in the Department of Energy’s Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office. Taie returned to Bend in 2023 to join RedoxBlox, a startup focused on thermochemical energy storage technology, before joining the Energy Innovation Center at OSU-Cascades.
“Central Oregon and the Pacific northwest are evolving as an epicenter for businesses and entrepreneurs focused on finding solutions to energy challenges facing our country and world,” Taie said. “The Energy Innovation Center at OSU-Cascades, in partnership with OSU, will support these companies and entrepreneurs, helping them more quickly transform ideas into viable commercial solutions.”
Chris Hagen serves as co-director of the center. Hagen is a professor of energy systems engineering and an expert in energy conversion and storage related issues. His expertise includes thermal energy storage and next generation fuels, which may offer greenhouse gas reduction opportunities. Hagen founded and directed the Energy Systems Lab at OSU-Cascades, leading work that resulted in the spinoff of Onboard Dynamics, a company now located in Bend.
The center is anticipated to move to the Innovation District at OSU-Cascades as the district develops. This future innovation district is planned to be 24 acres. Campus leaders are currently securing a master developer for the first eight-acre phase of the district.
The first buildings in the innovation district at OSU-Cascades are anticipated to open in 2028.