According to the news release from the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has been renamed the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR), with the new name reflects the laboratory’s expanding mission under the Trump Administration. The renaming is effective immediately and will be reflected in all public communications and official correspondence.
“The energy crisis we face today is unlike the crisis that gave rise to NREL,” said Assistant Secretary of Energy (EERE) Audrey Robertson. “We are no longer picking and choosing energy sources. Our highest priority is to invest in the scientific capabilities that will restore American manufacturing, drive down costs, and help this country meet its soaring energy demand. The National Lab of the Rockies will play a vital role in those efforts.”
Founded in response to the 1973 oil crisis, NREL spearheaded the development and integration of a broad array of technologies for every facet of the energy system, from generation to distribution to end use. The new name reflects the Trump Administration’s broader vision for the lab’s applied energy research, which historically emphasized alternative and renewable sources of generation, and honors the natural splendor of the lab’s surroundings in Golden, Colorado.
Read more about the name change and NLR’s mission and activities: News Release: Energy Department Renames NREL ‘National Laboratory of the Rockies’ | NREL