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U.S. to spend $193M on Colo. wind research
Associated Press
Issue date: 4/30/09 Section: News
GOLDEN, Colo. - The primary U.S. lab for renewable energy will receive $110 million in federal stimulus money and another $83 million will go toward wind energy efficiency and other alternative power projects, Energy Secretary Steven Chu said Wednesday.
"Wind energy will be one of the most important contributors to meeting President Obama's target of generating 10 percent of our electricity from renewable sources by 2012," Chu said.
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden will get $68 million for an energy-efficient office building, $19.2 million for solar, geothermal and fuel cell equipment to produce electricity for its labs and $13.5 million for upgrades to its biorefinery research facility.
NREL will get another $10 million for testing and evaluation of wind technology at the Energy Department's Wind Technology Center in Colorado.
The wind energy research money will be administered by DOE's office in Golden and includes $45 million to research and test drive-train systems for wind turbines, $14 million to encourage private industry development of lighter, more advanced materials for wind turbine components and $24 million to develop up to three partnerships between universities and industry to focus on critical technological improvements for wind energy.
Chu, speaking to NREL and DOE employees as the Obama administration marked 100 days in office, said all Cabinet members and top staffers meet frequently to coordinate how to spend the $787 billion appropriated by Congress to boost the recession-mired economy.
Obama's goal, Chu said, is to prepare the country to compete economically decades down the road as well as meet the challenges of climate change and energy demand.
"Because of those things, you want to get head of the curve," Chu said. "This is the president's vision, knowing what's going to happen 10, 20, 30 years from now. And we want to go where that is rather than fight a rearguard action, hoping that the world can go back where it was 50 years ago."
"Wind energy will be one of the most important contributors to meeting President Obama's target of generating 10 percent of our electricity from renewable sources by 2012," Chu said.
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden will get $68 million for an energy-efficient office building, $19.2 million for solar, geothermal and fuel cell equipment to produce electricity for its labs and $13.5 million for upgrades to its biorefinery research facility.
NREL will get another $10 million for testing and evaluation of wind technology at the Energy Department's Wind Technology Center in Colorado.
The wind energy research money will be administered by DOE's office in Golden and includes $45 million to research and test drive-train systems for wind turbines, $14 million to encourage private industry development of lighter, more advanced materials for wind turbine components and $24 million to develop up to three partnerships between universities and industry to focus on critical technological improvements for wind energy.
Chu, speaking to NREL and DOE employees as the Obama administration marked 100 days in office, said all Cabinet members and top staffers meet frequently to coordinate how to spend the $787 billion appropriated by Congress to boost the recession-mired economy.
Obama's goal, Chu said, is to prepare the country to compete economically decades down the road as well as meet the challenges of climate change and energy demand.
"Because of those things, you want to get head of the curve," Chu said. "This is the president's vision, knowing what's going to happen 10, 20, 30 years from now. And we want to go where that is rather than fight a rearguard action, hoping that the world can go back where it was 50 years ago."
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