Creating Paths to Energy Resilience

The Resilient Energy Technology and Infrastructure (RETI) Consortium was created to innovate and implement critical technologies for industrial grid resilience and energy efficiency.

With funding through the National Science Foundation Regional Innovation Engines program, RETI will provide advanced, and economically viable solutions that will help shape the future of energy. Focusing on industrial-aligned innovation, RETI will lay the groundwork for resilient energy supply and the development of grid infrastructure that securely and reliably balances power supply and demand.

Projected Impact

Securing energy supply for industrial growth:

Translating this into an innovation ecosystem:

Resulting in regional Economic opportunity:

Impact

Securing energy supply for industrial growth:

Economic Impact

Translating this into an innovation ecosystem:

Startups Supported

Resulting in regional Economic opportunity:

Jobs

Grid Resilience

RETI strengthens electric grid resilience through digital twins, machine learning decision tools, and cyber-secure control systems, ensuring industrial reliability amid increasing demand. Innovations span from real-time analytics and adaptive algorithms to startup-driven deployment of high-speed grid modeling tools.

Process Modifications

RETI is advancing process intensification through novel catalysts and integrated reactor design, reducing energy use and physical footprint in chemical manufacturing. The portfolio includes AI-accelerated catalyst discovery and microwave-based conversion technologies that modernize traditional processes  for enhanced efficiency.

New Feedstocks

RETI researchers are pioneering the use of hydrogen as a reducing agent for steel production and repurposing waste plastics into valuable chemicals through advanced microwave catalysis. These innovations establish new, sustainable feedstock streams  for the production of steel and chemicals.

Energy Management

RETI supports next-generation energy management via advanced grid-scale storage systems, solid oxide technologies for power conversion and microgrid deployment. These efforts enable flexible and versatile energy solutions to maintain grid stability and power energy-intensive U.S. manufacturing.

The Power of Partnership

West Virginia University, University of Pittsburgh, and Carnegie Mellon University, together with over 50 regional and national partners, is driving forward a bold vision for energy security and resilience.

Allegheny Conference on Community Development

West Virginia University Institute of Technology

Our Region

Serving a historic epicenter of energy production.

Centered in the heart of Appalachia, RETI unites partners across research, workforce, capital, nonprofits, communities, and government, with a shared vision: building a vibrant innovation ecosystem that drives regional economic growth. West Virginia and western Pennsylvania (WV/wPA) are among the top energy-producing regions in the U.S. and have served as an industrial hub for generations. This existing infrastructure makes RETI’s region an ideal location to research, innovate, and deploy resilient energy and industrial energy-efficient technologies.

01 West Virginia University
02 University of Pittsburgh
03 Carnegie Mellon University

CMU Energy Week tackles AI and energy

Apr 2, 2025

Carnegie Mellon’s ninth Energy Week focused on AI, a theme that is evolving in real time.

Upcoming Events

Find information about upcoming research and industry events by RETI Partners.