If you live anywhere near Boulder, Colorado or you’ve recently visited the area, you’ve probably driven past a set of enormous wind turbines in a field surrounded by mountains and wondered, “What exactly is going on out there?” The answer is some of the nation’s most innovative wind energy technology research.
Located at the base of the foothills just south of Boulder, Colorado, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL) National Wind Technology Center (NWTC) is the nation’s premier wind energy technology research facility. The spot was chosen because it experiences diverse and robust wind patterns that make it an ideal location for testing advanced wind energy technologies. The NWTC covers a total of 305 acres, and this area houses a variety of field test sites, test laboratories, industrial high-bay work areas, machine shops, electronics and instrumentation laboratories, and office areas.
The NWTC strives to be an essential partner for the technical development and large-scale deployment of wind power. Its primary focus is to improve windplant power production; reduce windplant capital cost; improve windplant reliability and lower cost; and to eliminate barriers to large-scale deployment.
The NWTC’s work is extremely important in our quest for clean energy. According to former President George W. Bush’s administration, wind energy has the potential to generate more than 20 percent of U.S. energy needs by 2030, but a lot of work needs to happen to reach that goal. However, the work being done at the NWTC is just one piece of a much broader movement by NREL to develop clean energy. In addition to the NWTC site, NREL also operates a 327-acre campus in Golden, CO.
This campus is focused on a comprehensive energy approach that encompasses the relationship among key systems: fuel production, transportation, the built environment, and electricity generation and delivery. The hope is that this ‘systems integration approach’ will accelerate the transformation of our nation’s energy use and delivery systems.
Here at Ascent, we’ve had the pleasure of working with NREL and The ABO Group since the early 90s, and we’re excited to announce we recently secured a new 5-year ongoing contract with them. We wholeheartedly believe in the work they are doing, and we’re happy to be there to help them upgrade their facilities for new uses, implement more energy efficient designs and strengthen existing structures to withstand the rigors of the environments they operate in. To learn more, visit: www.nrel.gov.
