RTI International Breaks Ground On Major Expansion Of Pilot Xcelerator Energy Facility
RTI International, an independent scientific research institute, celebrated the start of a project that will more than double the size of its RTI Pilot Xcelerator (RPX), a plug-and-play demonstration facility at its Research Triangle Park campus that helps government agencies, commercial partners and startup companies scale, engineer and test transformative energy and industrial innovations.
The expansion of the RPX will add 12,000 square feet of covered bay space and 3,000 square feet of indoor workspace, control rooms and staff amenities, resulting in over 25,000 square feet of space dedicated to pilot-scale technology demonstration. The upgraded facility is expected to open in 2026 and will enhance RTI’s ability to help clients validate the performance of new technologies under real-world conditions.
“The RTI Pilot Xcelerator brings our mission to life, helping transform bold scientific ideas into real-world solutions that tackle society’s toughest challenges,” said RTI President and CEO Tim J. Gabel. “We’re proud to be investing in the infrastructure that allows science to move faster and farther.”
RPX is the only privately owned energy pilot laboratory in North Carolina and one of the few in the U.S. To date, it has been used to develop and scale technologies that convert agricultural waste into biofuels, capture carbon emissions and produce low carbon intensity aviation fuels.
“Today’s groundbreaking reflects our commitment to advancing energy innovation,” said David Dausch, Ph.D., Vice President, Engineering and Advanced Technology at RTI. “Taking emerging energy technologies from concept to commercial readiness is a major challenge. By expanding RPX, we’re creating a more robust environment to help clients bridge the gap between laboratory prototype and real-world impact.”
The expanded RPX will feature configurable bays for process skids and dedicated control rooms for real-time monitoring. It will also be fully connected to the utilities, bulk gas supply, and other infrastructure needed to support advanced testing and scale-up. A planned adjacent solar field will enable behind-the-meter integration for renewable energy demonstrations.
“The RPX expansion builds on the success of the original facility established in 2013, which has supported partnerships with government agencies and commercial clients,” said Sameer Parvathikar, Ph.D., Program Director of RPX and the Senior Director of Sustainable Energy Solutions at RTI. “This next chapter opens the door to even more collaborations with clients tackling the toughest energy and industrial challenges.”
In June 2025, Aether Fuels, a sustainable fuels technology company, announced a project to demonstrate its breakthrough Aether Aurora™ sustainable aviation fuel at RPX. Other recent clients include Syzygy Plasmonics, which successfully demonstrated an all-electric CO2-to-fuel production pathway, and Lydian Labs, which conducted a successful pilot demonstration of its e-Reforming technology for producing sustainable aviation fuel.
