RIEEE News & Updates

Read the latest and updates from the Research Institute for Environment, Energy and Economics (RIEEE) as well as our three affiliated centers: the Appalachian Energy Center (AEC), the Center for Economic Research and Policy Analysis (CERPA), and the Southern Appalachian Environmental Research and Education Center (SAEREC).

App State Team Sunergy earns historic victory in cross-country solar racing challenge

The team claimed its second first-place finish since 2021 and earned this year’s Practicality Award

App State's Team Sunergy crossing the finish line of the 2026 Electrek American Solar Challenge in Amarillo, Texas. — App State’s Team Sunergy and its solar racing vehicle, Autumn, cross the finish line on day eight of the 2026 Electrek American Solar Challenge in Amarillo, Texas, completing the cross-country road race. Photo by Kyla Willoughby

_{Original post by Bret Yager}
_{Posted Aug. 11, 2026 at 3:24 p.m.}

Appalachian State University’s solar vehicle racing team, Team Sunergy, made history at the international 2026 Electrek American Solar Challenge (ASC), becoming the only team to capture the first-place win twice in the competition’s multi-occupant vehicle (MOV) category. The team qualified for the road race with a second-place finish in the Electrek Formula Sun Grand Prix (FSGP) just days earlier and took home ASC’s MOV Practicality Award.

Racing Highway 66 from Minneapolis to Amarillo, Texas, in a significant test of its new vehicle, Autumn, the student-powered team demonstrated it could build an improved two-person cruiser from the wheels up — once again employing the teamwork, strategy and endurance needed to overcome the challenges inherent on the long road to the podium.

“The perseverance, determination and Appalachian grit that this team demonstrated are what won us the race. It should make every Mountaineer proud.”
Team Sunergy advisor, Jim Dees

Dr. Andrew Windham (STBE) Receives Chancellor’s Innovation Scholars Grant to Support Workforce Development through the Trades Pathways Initiative

Congratulations to Dr. Andrew Windham, Associate Professor of Sustainable Technology and the Built Environment, who received a $25,000 Chancellor’s Innovation Grant to support the Trades Pathways Initiative to bolster workforce development in partnership with myFutureNC. The project team includes Dr. Jamie Russell, director of the Appalachian Energy Center; Dr. James Beeler, executive director of the Office of Rural Promise; and Jason Miller, associate dean of the College of Fine and Applied Arts.

CERPA Director Dr. Ash Morgan Shares Outdoor Recreation Economy Insights with Charlotte’s WFAE NPR News Station

Charlotte’s WFAE NPR News Station recently interviewed Dr. Ash Morgan, Professor of Economics and Director of the Center for Economic Research & Policy Analysis (CERPA), to discuss the drivers of North Carolina’s surging outdoor recreation economy and related impacts on state job growth, small business development, and quality of life for North Carolinians.

Listen to the interview.

CONCERT Research Grants Awarded for FY27

Join us in congratulating the recipients of this year’s Research Institute for Environment, Energy and Economics (RIEEE) CONducting ComplEx Research Together (CONCERT) program grants! FY27 CONCERT Research Grant Projects will be led by Dr. Adam Benfield, Dr. Rakkiyappa Chandran, Dr. Mohammad Ali Javidian, Dr. Jimena Vergara-Sanz, and Dr. Rebecca Witter. Learn more about the full project teams, the research, and the CONCERT Grant Program.

Learn more about the awarded projects, teams, and the CONCERT Grant Program.

News & Updates

CONCERT Research Grants Awarded for FY27

June 24, 2026