NREL Powers its Web Site with Renewable Energy

NREL generates power on-site from renewable energy sources, and a portion of that "green power" has been designated as the power source for this Web site.

The electricity needed to power the NREL Web site servers and support equipment is estimated to be about 33,000 kilowatt-hours per year. NREL has designated the solar power systems at its Solar Energy Research Facility, Outdoor Test Facility, and primary Site Entrance Building as the power sources for the NREL servers. Combined, these systems can generate as much as 22.38 kilowatts of grid-connected solar power, producing on average about 37,000 kilowatt-hours of green power each year, more than enough to meet the electrical needs of the NREL Web site.

While the solar power systems do not directly power the NREL Web site servers and supporting equipment, their power is fed into the grid to reduce the amount of power that NREL buys from its local electric utility. Designating that power as the source for the NREL Web site is an industry-accepted way of taking credit for this renewable power generation. NREL does not and will not take credit for the power generated by these systems for other purposes, and NREL does not and will not sell or trade the renewable energy credits and emissions credits associated with its on-site power generation.

NREL's Use of Electricity from Renewable Energy

All told, NREL operates slightly more than 30 kilowatts of grid-connected solar power systems, producing more than 48,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity each year. Another 6 kilowatts of solar power provide electricity directly to devices such as signs and pathway lights and some of the smaller buildings on the site. In addition, NREL's National Wind Technology Center (NWTC) operates a number of wind turbines for test purposes, producing roughly 100,000 kilowatt-hours of wind power per year that are used to offset the NWTC's electrical load. The wind turbines at the NWTC can produce up to 1,370 kilowatts of wind power.

NREL also purchases 30 million kilowatt-hours of renewable energy certificates each year through the U.S. Department of Energy's Western Area Power Administration. The purchase offsets not only the total energy use of NREL's buildings, but also the energy used by NREL vehicles, employee commuting, air travel, and other 'life cycle' energy consumption. Because the purchase offsets all of NREL's energy use, NREL's operations are "carbon neutral," that is, they produce no net greenhouse gas emissions on an annual basis.

Sustainability at NREL

Through its Sustainable NREL program, NREL has implemented a comprehensive suite of activities to make the laboratory more sustainable. An example is the Site Entrance Building at the National Wind Technology Center, which employs energy efficiency, wind power, solar power, natural ventilation, daylighting, and passive solar heating to function as a near-zero-energy building; on an annual basis, the building produces as much energy from renewable resources as it uses. Another example is NREL's new Science and Technology Facility, which received LEED Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for its design. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and is the preeminent green building standard in the United States. For more information about these and other efforts, see the Sustainable NREL Web page.

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