Events

Does a Renewable Energy System Make Economic Sense?

In this presentation, we'll examine four highly useful economic techniques that homeowners can use to analyze the economics of a wind or solar system using real life examples. We'll explore financial incentives like the Federal Tax Credit, utility rebates, and USDA REAP grants that help lower the initial cost of systems.

Dan Chiras is a green building consultant and an internationally acclaimed author of 25 books on residential green building, residential renewable energy, and sustainability, including The Homeowner's Guide to Renewable Energy, Power from the Wind, and The Solar House. Dan is founder and director of The Evergreen Institute where he teaches courses on green building, solar energy, and wind energy, and more.

You are invited to a fun educational day of guided tours, our “Science on a Sphere” presentation, activities and crafts for kids.  Enjoy a demonstration of a Solar Oven and make chocolate-marshmallow s’mores!

The NREL Visitors Center offers fascinating interactive exhibits of cutting- edge renewable energy technologies and user-friendly information helping  you, your family, friends and neighbors protect the earth’s environment by practicing energy efficiency in your home, school or office.

Bring the sunshine in!  Solar power, bio-diesel fuel and a wood-burning heating plant powering a lean, green data-processing machine? Almost by definition, large office buildings are environmentally UN-friendly – overrefrigerated and underutilized energy hogs.  What is NREL’s response?   The solutions are cutting edge, the problems are not.  What does it take to make an energy-guzzling data center an eco-friendly one?  How does that translate into your office environment?

Join us on Wednesday, July 29, 2009 at NREL’s Visitors’ Center to learn more.

This presentation is part of NREL’s “Visitors Center Power Lunch Lecture Series.”  Participants are welcome to bring a lunch and enjoy.

Does a Small Wind System Make Sense for You?

Wind energy can be a reliable supplement to solar electricity and, in some locations, can supply 100% of your needs. In this talk, we'll explore small wind systems, what your options are, what type of wind turbines are available for homeowners, how to assess a site for suitability, and costs.

Dan Chiras is a certified wind site assessor and author of numerous books on renewable energy, including Power from the Wind: A practical Guide to Small-Scale Energy Production.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory recently debuted “The Energy Planet”at its Visitors Center in Golden, Colo.  “The Energy Planet” is a short movie about energy from the sun and how we use it on our planet.  It uses Science on a Sphere®, – the unique visualization system created by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency – to show visitors the world on a 6-ft. globe.  Animated images projected on the globe show the sun, the Earth, and how renewable energy resources can change the planet.  

Come see our energy planet the way you’ve never seen it before. 

Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., closed on weekends and major holidays.