In the fall of 1974, SIU Carbondale received approval from its Board of Trustees and the Illinois Board of Higher Education to develop a Coal Extraction and Utilization Research Center. As envisioned by one of its chief supporters, Illinois Governor Dan Walker, the center would be "the focal point for coal mining research in Illinois" and "help ease the energy problem." Walker had chosen SIU as the site for this state's coal research headquarters for two reasons:
1) the University's close proximity to major fields of high-energy coal, and
2) the faculty's long-time interest in coal-related phenomena.
In fact, as early as the 1950's, SIU personnel had been engaged in coal research, or seeking solutions to problems frequently associated with coal. SIU's Coal Research Center (CRC) has been committed to the health and safety of coal miners and the human population, while dedicated to cleaner and more efficient production of coal for more than three decades. Focus areas included coal utilization, coal preparation, and coal conversion.
In 2014, the scope of the center was expanded to include all energy education and research efforts across campus, and the center's name was changed to the Advanced Coal and Energy Research Center (ACERC). Research has been conducted ranging from mine reclamation, coal processing, and gasification to energy policy, biofuels and renewables.
Ever at the forefront of efforts for safer, cleaner and more efficient energy, SIU researchers are making discoveries in areas such as carbon dioxide utilization, chemical looping combustion, microalgal fermentation and advanced materials for fuel cells.
Faculty and students from such diverse fields as engineering and technology, science, business, education, law and agriculture have contributed to the University’s international reputation in advanced coal and energy research. In addition to various graduate degree and research opportunities in colleges across campus related to energy topics, AEI supports SIU’s Professional Science Masters in Advanced Energy and Fuels Management program, which affirms an impressive post-graduation employment percentage.
In 2015, AEI received $4.6 million in private funding from the Clean Coal Review Board (CCRB). This was a strategic initiative and the result of about a year and a half's work, in response primarily to tightening state and federal research budgets. CCRB supported Energy Boost because it aims to establish an energy education unit, and programs that will help sustain AEI financially.
The Energy Boost Research Grant spans four years and has already established new scholarships, grants, and community events.
John S. Mead, served as the Director of the Advanced Energy Institute 1989-2011.