Tour NREL Facilities During Energy Awareness Month

Golden, Colo., Sept. 30, 1999 — Celebrate Energy Awareness Month in October by discovering the power of clean energy at the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The nation's premier laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research, development and deployment, NREL offers guests a glimpse into a bright future powered by the sun, wind and plant matter.

NREL's Visitors Center features interactive exhibits, educational videos and free literature on renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies. Children and adults are welcome to take self-guided tours of the exhibit hall and Roofus' Solar Neighborhood, an outdoor exhibit that showcases renewable energy and energy efficiency products that consumers can use today. The center is at 15013 Denver West Parkway in Golden and is open 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., weekdays. Group tours of the Visitors Center can be arranged by calling (303) 384-6565.

Adults interested in exploring NREL's research facilities also are invited to see firsthand how scientists are developing innovative, clean energy technologies. Lab-wide tours include a briefing at the Visitors Center and guided tours of the Solar Energy Research Facility, which features laboratories for photovoltaics (solar electricity) research; the Photovoltaic Outdoor Test Facility, where scientists test photovoltaic systems; and the Alternative Fuels User Facility, which houses a biofuels pilot plant. Public tours are offered from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on the first and third Thursday of each month. Space is limited and pre-registration is required at (303) 384-6565.

NREL is a national laboratory owned by the Energy Department and managed by Midwest Research Institute, Battelle and Bechtel. NREL conducts research in about 50 areas of scientific investigation, including photovoltaics, wind energy, plant-derived fuels and chemicals, energy-efficient buildings, advanced vehicles, concentrating solar energy systems, hydrogen fuel cells, geothermal and waste-to-energy technologies.

CLEAN ENERGY FOR THE 21st CENTURY

Visit NREL online.

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