The Institute for Energy Solutions is pleased to announce that Associate Professor Andrej Lenert has been selected as the 2025 recipient of the Michael B. La Marca Energy Award, which includes $3,000 in research funds. Michael B. La Marca was a UM alumnus who worked in the solar energy sector who passed away unexpectedly at the age of 39. The La Marca family fundraises through the Annual Cycle for Michael Charity Bike Ride: https://www.givecampus.com/schools/UniversityofMichigan/4th-annual-cycle-for-michael-charity-bike-ride. The funds are intended to directly support the faculty’s clean energy research.
Lenert intends to use this funding towards developing a proof-of-concept system for monitoring the health of individual panels in a solar farm. By deploying a system of strategically placed environmental sensors and tracking the power outputs with greater temporal resolution, this approach can create a more affordable methodology for monitoring and forecasting panel degradation.
IES will solicit self-nominations for the Michael B. La Marca Energy Award annually, and encourages all faculty who work on clean energy to apply.
Congratulations again to Andrej Lenert!