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an alternative to oil and gasoline. The research focus broad-
ened in September 1991, when the institute became a na-
tional laboratory of the Department of Energy. At this time,
the name changed to National Renewable Energy Labora-
tory (NREL). The main laboratory and offices are located at
Golden, Colorado, a short distance from Denver.
With a staff of about 1,000, including researchers and
engineers from diverse backgrounds in physics, chemistry,
and biology, NREL investigates many possible sources of re-
newable energy. Renewable energy refers to sources of en-
ergy that are continually replenished, unlike sources such
as oil or coal that are of limited and dwindling quantity. Pro-
grams include research on biomass (the use of agricultural
or other biological material as fuel), geothermal sources
(energy derived from Earth's heat), wind and water power,
solar energy, fuel cells, and other technologies designed to
increase the efficiency of buildings, energy distribution, in-
dustry, and transportation.
An important component of NREL strategy is its Technol-
ogy Transfer Office. Even the most inventive ideas do little
good if they are not developed beyond the laboratory stage.
NREL works with companies and government agencies to
help bring new technologies into the marketplace. For ex-
ample, the fuel cell vehicles that NREL evaluated at Hickam
Air Force Base were the products of a collaborative team
from Enova Systems, Hydrogenics Corporation, and the Ha-
waii Center for Advanced Transportation Technologies.
The two fuel vehicles began operation late in the summer of 2007.
Users maintain logs that document vehicle performance, and tests are
ongoing to evaluate the operational experience and the refueling sta-
tion. Other NREL evaluation projects involve transit buses powered by
fuel cell hybrids in Oakland, California, Thousand Palms, California,
and Hartford, Connecticut.
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