South Carolina Research Authority joins clean energy initiative.

The South Carolina Research Authority has been selected to receive up to $1 million as a core member of a team that will explore ways to develop clean energy in the Carolinas.

The program, run by the U.S. National Science Foundation, is known as the Regional Innovation Engines or NSF Engines program, according to a news release.

SCRA will participate in an initiative called "Clean Carolinas" led by the University of North Carolina Charlotte. The initiative is intended to produce an ecosystem of technology acceleration, research and development and workforce development, while also targeting diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility to community priorities for energy economic development and well-paying jobs, according to the release.

"We are very excited to partner with UNC Charlotte and others to lead this effort for South Carolina, which will accelerate the development and deployment of clean energy that is quickly becoming a prominent energy source for the future," said SCRA Executive Director Bob Quinn. "Our state has many resources to help get us there, including our academic and industry partners and entrepreneurial ecosystem."

Clean Carolinas is designed to make advancements in clean energy, including offshore wind, solar, clean hydrogen, marine energy, and the electric-energy delivery and storage systems that support their integration with a grid to meet the challenges of achieving a net-carbon-neutral electric grid by 2050 and sustaining it for much longer.

In addition, the initiative's activities will form the groundwork for...