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National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)

Photo of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Science and Technology Facility

NREL Website Helps Research Campuses Go Green

On December 23, 2009, NREL, along with Cornell University , launched a website entitled Climate Neutral Research Campuses , to help campus-based institutions develop clean energy and carbon-reduction strategies. The website provides research campuses with a five-step process for how to develop and implement climate action plans.

Research campuses can consume more energy per square foot than other types of facilities. Laboratories and data centers run at all hours of the day using power-hungry equipment and cooling and ventilation systems to ensure high-quality scientific results and meet health and safety regulations. But they also have greater opportunities to reduce energy consumption, implement renewable energy, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The process presented on the website follows a logical hierarchy of actions to evaluate options by energy sector and set specific targets. It encompasses every energy system on campus, recognizing that campus-wide measures have greater potential for reducing carbon emissions.

NREL developed this website with support from Labs21.

NREL's Science and Technology Facility, completed in August 2006, is located adjacent to the Solar Energy Research Facility in Golden, Colorado. The facility incorporates extensive daylighting in most areas, including most laboratories; developed and implemented an aggressive energy budget; and allowed for easy future additions of building integrated photovoltaics as an electricity source. As a result of these efforts, the Science and Technology Facility received LEED^® Platinum certification, making it the first federal building and the first Labs21 Partner to attain the USGBC's highest LEED rating. NREL was also awarded a Federal Energy and Water Management Award in 2006. View the Labs21 Case Study (10 pp, 1.1 MB, about PDF) for more information on the Science and Technology Facility's sustainable features.

The lab is also registered with the U.S. Green Building Council. Commissioning is courtesy of $47,000 Model Program grant from DOE's Departmental Energy Management Program.

A leader in renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development, the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory is developing new energy technologies to benefit both the environment and the economy. NREL facilities include a Solar Energy Research Facility, National Wind Technology Center, Alternative Fuels User Facility, and many more energy-related research laboratories. For more on this partner, please visit www.nrel.gov.

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