Houston Advanced Research Center

Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit research organization founded in 1982 and based in Spring/The Woodlands, Texas. It applies independent, multidisciplinary sustainability science to inform policy, technology adoption, and community-scale solutions. HARC's research and programs span air quality monitoring and modeling, water and coastal systems, energy and climate resilience, and equity-focused implementation. The organization operates a net-zero demonstration headquarters and delivers data products, technical assistance, and stakeholder convening for regional governments, industry, and communities. In the last 2–3 years HARC has played a leading role in statewide and federal initiatives—co-leading the Texas Solar for All coalition that won major federal funding to expand distributed solar in low-income communities, expanding community air monitoring and urban heat mapping campaigns, and earning repeated ENERGY STAR recognition for its net-zero building. These activities reflect HARC's emphasis on equitable clean energy deployment, air quality science, and resilience planning.