IRVINE

The California Energy Commission awarded a $305,733 grant to UC Irvine’s National Fuel Research Center this month. Researchers will use the funds to analyze power systems and to encourage companies to use the new fuel cell technology in day-to-day business, a university representative said. Fuel cells are devices in which energy from a chemical reaction is converted directly into electricity. The funds were provided to the center, founded in 1998, through the state commission’s Public Interest Energy Research program. The program supports research into making electricity safer, more reliable, affordable and environmentally safe. For more information, check the center’s Web site at https://www.nfcrc.uci.edu.