PRE-CONFERENCE TOUR:
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Monday, October 20th

Participants visited one of the nation's leaders in renewable energy during a special tour of the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

The tour began at the nationally recognized Solar Energy Research Facility (3 pp., 558 KB), a 115,000 square-foot building housing 42 laboratories. By optimizing the building's standard components—site location, windows, walls, and mechanical/electrical systems—NREL substantially reduced its energy consumption, matching the vision of the energy efficiency research conducted within the laboratory.

The next stop was the 11,000 square-foot Thermal Test Facility (3 pp., 330 KB), a showcase for integrated energy efficiency features such as daylighting and evaporative cooling. In this building, NREL has reduced its energy use by more than 60% percent compared to a standard building.

Attendees also visited the Outdoor Test Facility, where cutting-edge photovoltaic technologies are tested before they hit the market.

Tours ran at several intervals during the day on Monday.

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