The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is the United States’ primary laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development. NREL is a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), supported by the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, and located in Golden, Colorado. With more than 2,000 employees, NREL is one of the largest DOE laboratories.
NREL’s mission is to advance sustainable transportation and power technologies; improve grid reliability; increase our nation’s security; reduce our dependence on foreign oil; create jobs across America; boost U.S. competitiveness in clean energy technologies; save consumers money on their energy bills; make it possible for utilities to provide cleaner, less expensive power to their customers—and do all this while protecting our environment.
In support of its mission, NREL conducts extensive research in a wide range of areas related to renewable energy resources and systems. These include wind power, solar power (including photovoltaics [PV] and concentrating solar power [CSP]), biomass, waterpower, geothermal energy, electric vehicles, fuel cells, distributed generation, grid integration, batteries and electrolyzers, as well as systems analysis tools and methods. The lab also works on market transformation strategies to accelerate deployment of renewable technologies, including policy analysis & regulatory engagement, project finance, technology commercialization, workforce development & training, manufacturing R&D, market assessment & outreach.
NREL was established in 1974 as the Solar Energy Research Institute (SERI) by Congress with strong bipartisan support.: S. 2985 (93rd Congress), sponsored by Senators Hubert H. Humphrey (D-Minnesota) and Jacob Javits (R-New York).: H.R. 16457 (93rd Congress), sponsored by Representatives James Rains (D-California)