New "Green Building," Biomass and Solar Facilities (at NREL)

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New "Green Building," Biomass and Solar Facilities

Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Lab to Dramatically Increase Use of Clean, Renewable Energy

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Samuel W. Bodman today participated in a groundbreaking ceremony for a highly efficient and "green" Research Support Facility, and announced two major renewable power projects at the Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). These projects further President Bush's to increase the use of clean, renewable energy and maximize energy efficiency across the federal government. NREL's new Research Support Facility promises to be one of the most "green" buildings ever constructed; the new Renewable Fuel Heating Plant will use biomass to cut NREL's future natural gas use by 75 percent; and the Mesa Top PV Project - a new five-acre photovoltaic array, and one of the largest solar power systems in Colorado - will help power the lab's main campus.

These projects underscore NREL's role in advancing DOE's Transformational Energy Action Management (TEAM) Initiative, a Department-wide effort to maximize energy efficiency and renewable energy generation across the DOE complex. TEAM Initiative puts DOE on an aggressive footing toward meeting and possibly exceeding President Bush's executive over to reduce energy use across the federal government. DOE Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Alexander Karsner and NREL Director Dan Arvizu joined Secretary Bodman for today's groundbreaking ceremony and announcements.

"It is fitting that the Nation's leading research center on renewable energy and energy efficiency is also a leader in putting these vital technologies to use," Secretary Bodman said. "These projects truly set a new precedent for how we use energy and I hope they will serve as models for future federal clean energy projects. Through TEAM Initiative, and exemplary projects like these at NREL, DOE is on track to meet and exceed its commitment to reduce energy intensity (energy consumption per square foot) at its facilities by 30 percent nationwide, saving taxpayers roughly $90 million a year."

NREL's 210,000 square-foot Research Support Facility is designed to be a model for sustainable, high-performance design, and will provide DOE-owned work space for administrative staff who currently occupy leased space. It will make substantial use of daylighting, dramatically reducing energy use and providing a pleasant and productive working environment. The RSF has been designed to achieve a LEED� (Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design) Platinum designation - the highest benchmark awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council.