Energy lab looking at bright future

$100 million cash windfall allows NREL to hire 100

Gargi Chakrabarty

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

The Rocky / 2007

Keith Emery, a research engineer, finishes the installation of a prototype of a solar device early last year at the National Renewal Energy Laboratory in Golden.The lab has secured $55 million for a 130,000-square-foot facility on the campus.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden is hiring 100 highly paid scientists and support staff - a reflection of the country's push to advance solar, wind and biomass technologies.

The new positions will be funded by a $100 million cash infusion into NREL six months ago after Congress approved a measure to increase the Energy Department's funds by $500 million in fiscal 2007. NREL employs about 1,000 people.

That midyear infusion, the highest in the lab's history, boosted its budget by 50 percent to $309.6 million last year.

It's a reversal of the budget cuts and layoffs the lab has suffered in the past few years.

"I can't believe it," said Tom Clark, executive vice president of Metro Denver Economic Development Corp., referring to NREL's hiring spree - the most the lab has seen in recent memory.

"After all these years of nursing the Solar Energy Research Institute (NREL's predecessor), rallying to save it probably 18 years ago, today NREL is the pre-eminent research institute of its kind in the world.

"For most of us, the promise of SERI to lead the world into a new energy economy is upon us, and since it is, it shouldn't surprise us that money is flowing into the lab," Clark added.

NREL's future looks rosier still: The lab also has secured $55 million to build another facility on the campus. The 130,000- square-foot building will be used to research how electricity from renewable resources such as the sun or wind could be integrated with the electrical grid. It could become home to 160 scientists.

NREL expects an even bigger budget in fiscal 2008, given that the omnibus spending bill signed by President Bush in December increases the funding for an Energy Department program by 13 percent. NREL draws most of its money from the department's energy-efficiency and renewable-energy program.

"It's all a reflection of the national mood on energy," NREL spokesman George Douglas said.

Today, the mood in Washington, D.C., is more amenable to renewable energy as a viable alternative to fossil fuel such as oil. Supporters say solar, wind, hydrogen or biomass technologies not only would reduce America's dependence on oil, often imported from unstable nations, but also downsize its carbon footprints.

In contrast, federal research labs such as Los Alamos and the Sandia labs in neighboring New Mexico are considering jobs cuts. Those labs draw money from some federal nuclear programs that are being trimmed.

In past years, NREL has suffered its own budget cuts and has been forced to hand out pink slips to dozens of scientists.

In February 2006, the lab's budget initially stood at $174 million, lower than the previous year's $201.9 million. That forced the lab to lay off 32 employees.

The Energy Department later gave $5 million to the lab, two days before President Bush visited the campus, to help reinstate the employees, although eight laid-off scientists chose not to return. NREL subsequently received more money in fiscal 2006 from Office of Science programs that bolstered its budget to $209.6 million.

"NREL is a political animal at the mercy of whoever is in charge," Rick Grice, former executive director of the Governor's Office of Energy Management and Conservation under former Gov. Bill Owens, said at the time.

Colorado's congressional delegates on both sides of the aisle - Democrat Ken Salazar and Republican Wayne Allard in the Senate and Democrats Mark Udall, Diana DeGette and Ed Perlmutter in the House - have led efforts to improve NREL's financial health.

"Colorado has the sunshine, the wind power and the brain power to be the nation's leader in renewable-energy production and use," Udall said. "NREL has led this charge. When we invest in NREL, we invest in our state and our country."

chakrabartyg@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-2976

NREL's budget

* Fiscal years ending Sept. 30

2008 Not finalized**

2007 $309.6 million*

2006 $209.6 million

2005 $201.9 million

2004 $212.9 million

2003 $230.1 million

2002 $217.5 million

2001 $214.5 million

*Congress allocated an extra $100 million for NREL for fiscal 2007, enabling 100 hires.

** In fiscal 2008, NREL has secured $55 million to build another research facility in Golden, and NREL likely will have a bigger budget than in the previous year.

Job descriptions

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden is hiring 100 scientists and support staff, one of the biggest hiring sprees in recent times. Here's a sampling of the positions offered:

*Deputy director - Information Services Office

Requirements: Master's degree in business, computing, science, or other related field or equivalent experience. A minimum of 15 years of IT-related management exper- ience Salary range: $84,000 to $218,000

* Senior Project Leader II - Fuels

Requirements: Master's degree in chemistry, chemical engineering or mechanical engineering; 10 years relevant experience.

Must be willing to spend the first four months in Washington, D.C., and returning often (up to 40 percent and as needed) later on

Salary range: $64,000 to $160,000

* Senior Scientist I - Materials/Chemistry

Requirements: Ph.D. in chemistry, materials science with 5 years relevant R&D experience.

Salary range: $48,000 to $126,000

* Engineer II - Electrical

Requirements: Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering and three years' experience with knowledge of electric power systems.

Salary range: $42,000 to $114,000