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“MARKING THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE NATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY LABORATORY” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Energy was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E1227-E1228 on July 10, 2002.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
MARKING THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE NATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY
LABORATORY
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HON. MARK UDALL
of colorado
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, July 10, 2002
Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), based in Golden, Colorado, on the occasion of its 25th anniversary. As the Department of Energy's premier laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development, NREL has played a critical role in advancing our knowledge and technical ability to integrate power from renewable resources into our nation's energy supply.
On July 5, 1977, NREL opened its doors. Created as the Solar Energy Research Institute, it began its work during an energy crisis, with a mission to make renewable energy a viable national energy option.
NREL has succeeded in its mission, and it continues to make remarkable strides. For a modest investment in renewable energy research and development over the last two decades, the price of wind energy has dropped from 30 cents/kWh to between 4-6 cents/kWh, mostly due to past research at NREL. Photovoltaic modules have lowered their cost by nearly a factor of ten, while the cost of solar systems has been reduced by 50 percent in the last decade. Biomass ethanol has decreased its cost per gallon from roughly $4.00 fifteen years ago to
$1.20 today due to research at this laboratory. Commitment to cooperative research and development with laboratories, universities, and the private sector has led to ground-breaking technology improvements that are now beginning to make their way into the market in nearly all renewable energy technologies.
NREL's work has earned it many awards over the last 25 years. Among them are 31 R&D 100 awards, the most per researcher of any Department of Energy laboratory.
But NREL does more than good research. I have always been particularly impressed by NREL's dedication to its community in Colorado. A good example of this dedication: As a way of celebrating the laboratory's anniversary, NREL's employees chose to build an energy-efficient home for Habitat for Humanity. NREL's managing partners are funding the project, and NREL employees and their friends and families will contribute 3,000 volunteer hours to build the house.
So NREL has a great deal to celebrate on this anniversary. As NREL Director Richard Truly remarked earlier this year, the goal of the anniversary activities is not only to call attention to NREL's great achievements, but also to recognize NREL's 1,000-plus employees, to remind stakeholders how NREL's efforts helped them achieve success, and to announce that there will be much more to come from NREL in the next 25 years.
And there must be much more to come. With total world energy use expected to double by the year 2025 and quadruple by 2100, it is clear that NREL has an increasingly important role to play in transforming the way we think about and use energy.
As co-chair of the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus in the House, I have consistently supported NREL's vision for a sustainable energy future. I look forward to sharing in NREL's future successes.
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