Udallers visit National Renewable Energy Lab

On the morning of July 13, eleven of us went out to visit the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) in Golden, CO. There, we met up with Jim Bosch and Ivilina Thornton and hopped over to the security center – luckily everyone remembered to wear shoes and leave their Nalgenes behind.

At the Visitor’s Center, we received a quick introduction to the history and key research going on at NREL, such as solar and wind energy, biomass fuels, hydrogen technologies and infrastructure. Because hydrogen currently used in industry is more than 90% derived from natural gas, Jim emphasized the importance of finding green sources for hydrogen – whether using algae to produce it, or using clean electricity (ex. wind) to split water molecules via electrolysis.

Most of our brief visit (barely an hour, whereas I could have spent days in there) was spent looking at the evolution of photovoltaic (PV) solar technologies at NREL. Apparently, the early solar panels from the 60s were under 10% efficient at converting the sun’s energy to electricity, and today’s “high performance” solar panels can utilize over 40% of the sun’s energy.

Much of this research was spurred in the 1970s in response to the energy crisis and Arab oil embargo, as energy independence was seen as the priority (not so much environmental concerns). Today, a similar sentiment is in the air, in addition to growing environmental awareness and concern, which is helping to raise the profile of solar and other research being led by NREL. In addition to the high tech PV solar technology, we also got a glimpse of some clever “low tech” projects, such as using a “transpired solar collector” (black perforated wall) to pre-heat air entering a heating unit. While these technologies are very exciting due to their potential to lower our dependence on fuel from foreign countries, many of them should also make it possible to improve the quality of life in remote and financially poor communities.

By: Bret Strogen