The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the Department of Energy have been coordinating the creation of a new facility in Golden, Colorado which is centered on large utility sized clean energy grid integration. The goal is to develop cheaper and more efficient solar power inverters for many aspects of energy use.
The Secretary of Energy, Ernest Muniz, believes that NREL is a "national treasure" because the organization assists researchers, inverters, entrepreneurs, and innovators develop and research new reliable energy technologies.
This new center is being created with an important goal in mind. In order for new energy technology like solar energy developments to become the most important form of usable energy, there has to be a well-coordinated effort among researchers, manufacturers, and utility companies.
The goal is to merge clean and renewable energy like solar into a smarter and more efficient power grid. This is called grid integration.
The importance of this new facility is to be the first facility to combine both public sector researchers and private industrial researchers to work together to increase sustainable energy technologies like solar arrays to wind turbines.
The plans are eventually for things like electric vehicles to become more user-friendly and to have home appliances that are interactive with renewable energy sources. The goal is grid integration with the coordination of those that are creating useful interaction with each other and a large utility grid.
The Energy Systems Integration Facility (ESIF) in Colorado is the first of its kind. It also coordinates efforts between the federal government, private industry and the scholastic community with a thirty five year objective. The idea is for these three groups working together to move into new and innovative areas of energy research.
Grid integration will also involve more direction towards the next generation of solar and wind technology which will support large scale storage of energy along with the continued reduction of renewable energy costs.
It will help to make these sources of energy more affordable. The plan is to integrate the grid along with new inventions so that Americans will be paying less for electricity in the future and that it will come from clean, sustainable and efficient sources.
With the future of electric cars that will work with little if any carbon based fuel which will reduce our dependency on dirty combustion engines that pollute our air and cost a lot to run. trade carbon credits Other appliances that are in our homes will be coordinated with renewable energy so that they will run on clean and inexpensive energy as well.