Science Foundation Arizona, Phoenix, is investing $4 million in five new solar technology initiatives and opening the Solar Technology Institute (STI), which is a collaborative effort to deploy Arizona's significant solar resources with industry and the research strengths of the University of Arizona (UA), Tucson, Ariz., and Arizona State University, Phoenix, to enhance the state's global leadership in renewable energy.
STI is co-directed by two pioneers in the solar field:
- Richard Powell, former vice president for research at the UA and former dean of its world-class College of Optical Sciences
- Robert "Bud" Annan, from the U.S. Department of Energy's solar energy program