Students Tour National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Lucy Daberkow and students pose for a picture in front of
reclaimed beetle killed pine walls at the NREL.

Students in the Environmental and Natural Resources Law and Policy and J. D. Programs attended a tour of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) on Tuesday, April 23rd. The tour was organized by Professor K.K. DuVivier and overseen by Assistant Director, Lucy Daberkow.

NREL is the U.S. Department of Energy's premier laboratory for renewable and efficient energy research and development. The lab is government-owned and receives Congressional funding. Energy innovators have access to the lab through specific contracts and are able to develop and test their materials with the lab's state of the art technology.

The students toured the 327 acre main campus in Golden, CO which houses four LEED-rated buildings. NREL is committed to operating sustainably and hopes to provide a model for other buildings. The students were impressed by the many aspects that were taken into consideration, from rain drainage to chemical free adhesives in the flooring. In addition, many design features of NREL were inspired by ancient buildings.

Many of the students who attended are currently enrolled in an energy law related course(s) and were able to supplement their academic understanding of the energy field through the tour. Brendan Browne, MRLS '13 shared "Touring the NREL facility got me excited at the prospect of working in the renewable energy field."

The Denver Post recently named NREL as one of 2013's top places to work and was profiled in a special insert of the Denver Post on Sunday, April 21. For more information on what it is like to work at NREL, visit their employment website.

Angelica Oman

Graduate Program Assistant