Energy Secretary Steven Chu this morning announced that the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden will receive $110 million in federal economic-stimulus funds — $10 million toward its wind-power-testing facility, and $100 million for construction and upgrades.
NREL also can apply for grants from another $83 million earmarked for wind-research projects and distributed by the U.S. Department of Energy office in Boulder, Chu said.
It was Chu’s first visit to the Golden facility since taking the agency’s helm in January.
“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.
It was initially believed that NREL would be bypassed for any significant piece of Obama’s $787 billion stimulus package.
Owned by the Energy Department, NREL is the nation’s primary lab for renewable-energy and energy-efficiency research and development. In fiscal year 2007, it operated on a $378.4 million budget, according to its website.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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