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GOLDEN, Colorado, US, July 5, 2006 (Refocus
Weekly)
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory is using
green power to offset the total energy use of its buildings, as well
as the energy used by staff vehicles, employee commuting, air travel
and other energy consumption.
The U.S. Department of Energy facility has installed on-site
solar PV and wind systems, and purchases renewable energy
certificates, to exceed its five-year goal as part of the
Environmental Protection Agency’s ‘Climate Leaders Partnership’ of
reducing overall GHG emissions more than 10% since 2000. Several
NREL buildings are among the most energy efficient of federal
facilities, while the electricity from wind turbines and solar
panels contributes 138,000 kWh a year to the facility’s power needs.
'We at NREL are proud to be leaders in energy efficiency and
renewable energy, by both providing the research that helps the
nation reduce its dependence on foreign energy sources, and by using
those very technologies to make our own facilities the very best
they can be,” says director Dan Arvizu. All new construction at NREL
is committed to exceed the current Federal Model Energy Code by at
least 30%.
NREL’s National Wind Technology Center uses wind turbines for
research and to generate electricity to meet on-site demand. Thermal
energy sources include solar hot water systems and ventilation air
preheat systems, while passive solar heating and day-lighting are
used extensively.
NREL covers 618 acres on several sites, with 665,000 ft2 of
laboratory and office space, housing 1,100 researchers and support
staff. It is the DOE’s primary national laboratory for renewable
energy and energy efficiency research, and is operated by Midwest
Research Institute and Battelle.
NREL has also played an important role in increasing the use of
renewables across the entire federal government, largely through the
Federal Energy Management Program, officials claim. NREL’s technical
leadership in support of FEMP efforts to advance the use of
renewables within the federal sector helped the government exceed
its goal of obtaining 2.5% of its electricity from green power by
September 2005.
NREL was the first federal pilot partner in EPA’s Climate Leaders
Partnership, and the environmental agency has praised NREL as a
“world leader” credited with “numerous important advances in
photovoltaics, wind energy, building technology, advanced vehicle
and automotive systems, solar thermal electric, hydrogen,
superconductivity, geothermal power and distributed energy.”
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