N.C. State University was selected by the National Science Foundation to lead a $28.5 million research initiative to transform the nation's century-old power transmission system into a "smart grid" network that will be able to store energy from solar power, wind farms and other alternative resources.

The Engineering Research Center for Future Renewable Electric Energy Delivery and Management Systems will be headquartered at N.C. State's Centennial Campus and involve universities, industry and laboratories in 28 states and nine countries.

More than 65 utility companies and other businesses have committed to joining the project. Participants include Progress Energy of Raleigh and Duke Energy of Charlotte.

Alex Huang, N.C. State's Progress Energy distinguished professor of electrical and computer engineering, will be the center's director.

The project will work on technology to enable households and businesses to generate and store electricity from alternative resources and sell the excess power to electric utilities.