The University of Louisiana at Lafayette has been designated the U.S. Department of Energy’s sixth Regional Test Center for Emerging Solar Technologies.
The regional test center program is overseen by the DOE’s Sandia National Laboratories. The program’s consortium of outdoor solar research centers collectively evaluate photovoltaic systems and technologies in different regions of the country.
UL Lafayette’s selection as the site for a regional test center was announced today during a dedication ceremony for Antoun Hall. The 4,500-square-foot hall is the nerve center of the University’s Louisiana Solar Energy Lab. The lab will house Sandia’s Louisiana Regional Test Center for Emerging Solar Technologies.
The solar energy lab, which is located at University Research Park, also features a 6-acre, 4,200-panel solar field. It is one of the largest outdoor solar testing facilities in the southeastern United States.
“Sandia National Laboratories’ decision to make UL Lafayette home to its Louisiana Regional Test Center rests on our status as a recognized leader in both traditional and sustainable energy,” said Dr. Joseph Savoie, University president. “In this instance, that means our wide-ranging capabilities for research and operational testing at the University’s Louisiana Solar Energy Lab, which is also a hub for technology development, instruction, training and workforce development,” he added.
Sandia’s overarching focus is research and development for a range of engineering- and science-based technologies designed to enhance national security. Its solar technologies test centers generate validated performance data to improve the efficiency and resilience of photovoltaic, or PV, systems.
Each center is strategically located, enabling researchers to collect long-term data in different climates and weather conditions. The Louisiana Regional Test Center will contribute systems analysis in a hot, humid climate that is prone to hurricanes, said Dr. Terry Chambers, director of the Louisiana Solar Energy Lab.
“We’re going to, as one example, be doing things like instrumenting our installations to test vibrations experienced by solar product components at high wind speeds. We’ll examine if high winds induce fatigue failures or cause solar modules to crack,” Chambers explained.
“And we will identify best practices for the design of PV systems in high-wind areas, information that will be shared with industry and some of the country’s top researchers at other test centers,” he added.
The PV systems installed at the Louisiana Regional Test Center are grouped into three categories:
- prototypes provided by U.S. manufacturers seeking to commercialize products;
- research systems to gather data on next-generation solar cells and modules; and,
- experimental systems for training and education.
Beyond research, operational testing and technology development, a key function of the Louisiana Solar Energy Lab is workforce development, Chambers said.
“And workforce development is built around establishing productive relationships with industry collaborators, a dynamic that drives product innovation and commercialization,” he explained.
Chief among the University’s many collaborators is First Solar, the United States’ largest domestic solar manufacturer. The Arizona-headquartered company operates three manufacturing plants and a research and development center at its Northwest Ohio campus, believed to be the largest footprint of its kind outside of China. It recently commissioned a fourth U.S. factory, located in Decatur, Alabama, and expects to begin commercial operations at its New Iberia, Louisiana facility before the end of 2025.
That will place one of the country’s largest fully vertically integrated solar manufacturing facilities a short distance from UL Lafayette’s campus. First Solar anticipates investing $1.1 billion – believed to be the largest single capital investment in the area’s history – in the facility.
The University is expected to train a large portion of the workforce at the facility, which will produce high-performance thin film PV solar modules. First Solar plans to create more than 800 new direct jobs at the facility with a total annual payroll of at least $40 million.
According to a 2024 Economic Impact Report conducted by UL Lafayette and commissioned by First Solar, the company is expected to support over 30,000 direct, indirect, and induced jobs across the country in 2026, representing approximately $2.8 billion in labor income. The report also projected that, in 2026, the company would add almost $5 billion in economic value and contribute over $10 billion to the U.S. GDP.
University alum Georges Antoun, who earned a bachelor’s degree from the College of Engineering in 1988, is First Solar’s chief commercial officer. Antoun, who also holds a master’s degree from the NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering, is a driving force behind the Louisiana Solar Energy Lab.
Antoun Hall is named in honor of Georges and Martha Ward Antoun, for many contributions the couple has made to the University, the solar engineering lab and the College of Engineering. That includes Georges Antoun’s role as chair of the college’s Dean’s Council. He offers guidance and expertise in many areas, including strategic planning. Antoun also helps the college coordinate student mentoring efforts.
“As a national hub for energy research, education, and workforce development, this state-of-the-art facility will play a pivotal role in enabling bright futures for UL Lafayette students against a backdrop of historic demand for power generation,” Georges Antoun said. “The facility will strengthen the University’s position as a leading source of energy research. Research that not only puts the University and Louisiana on the map but ultimately helps our nation unleash energy dominance and enables the effort to boost growth and prosperity.”
Photo caption: Antoun Hall, the nerve center of the Louisiana Solar Energy Lab at UL Lafayette, was dedicated during a ceremony Friday that also saw the University designated the U.S. Department of Energy’s sixth Regional Test Center for Emerging Solar Technologies. (Photo credit: University of Louisiana at Lafayette)
