IFMA’s Best Practices Forum Agenda

IFMA’s Best Practices Forum participants will be touring the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) facilities in Golden, Colo., on Tuesday, June 5.

Because of security protocol, participants will travel by bus from the event hotel to the NREL visitors’ center, arriving at NREL at 9:00 a.m. and returning to the hotel at noon. Forum proceedings will resume following lunch.

The Golden campus of the NREL includes eight facilities:

• Alternative Fuels Users Facility
• Field Test Laboratory Building
• Outdoor Test Facility
• Science and Technology Facility
• Solar Energy Research Facility
• Solar Furnace
• Solar Radiation Research Laboratory
• Thermal Test Facility

Science and Technology Facility
The Science and Technology Facility (S&TF) is the latest addition to the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) state-of-the-art research buildings on the NREL campus.

The S&TF has a sustainable and energy-efficient design and supports solar cell, thin film and nanostructure research. It provides needed laboratory space, expands research capabilities and will assist in accelerating the development and commercialization of promising new energy alternatives.

• Adding Crucial Research Capabilities
  • The 71,000-square-foot facility provides needed laboratory space and expands research capabilities necessary to accomplish DOE's goals in photovoltaics, hydrogen and solar fuel cells, solid-state lighting, thin film coatings and devices, electrochromics and nanotechnologies.
• Fostering Collaboration
• The building is uniquely designed with flexible and open laboratory areas to foster collaboration among government, industry and universities.
• Speeding New Technologies to Market
  • This facility will significantly cut the time it takes to commercialize new technologies. Researchers will employ the laboratory to resolve the complex manufacturing issues confronting the next generation of solar and hydrogen fuel cell technologies.
• Energy-efficient Features
  • NREL's first Gold LEED certified building, the S&TF incorporates features that are expected to reduce energy use by 41 percent, compared to standard laboratory buildings.
• Environment Is Paramount
• The facility is a showcase for land use and architectural integration into the natural landscape.
• Smaller Building Footprint
  • This three-level building has a reduced footprint for minimal environmental impact.

Solar Energy Research Facility
The Solar Energy Research Facility (SERF) houses 42 laboratories for research in photovoltaics, superconductivity and related materials science. SERF is one of the federal government's most energy-efficient buildings, using approximately 50 percent less energy than typical research facilities.