Grid Facilities

NREL's state-of-the-art research facilities provide the venue for groundbreaking innovations and collaboration in grid research.

Smart city and communication network concept illustration

ARIES: Advanced Research on Integrated Energy Systems

ARIES unites research capabilities at multiple scales and across sectors to create a platform for understanding the full impact of energy systems integration. 


Photo of the Energy Systems Integration Facility

Energy Systems Integration Facility

The Energy Systems Integration Facility is the nation's premier user facility for research, development, and demonstration of the components and strategies needed to optimize our entire energy system.


Photo of the National Wind Technology Center

Grid Integration Facilities at Flatirons Campus

NREL's Flatirons Campus offers similar integration capabilities to the Energy Systems Integration Facility but at a larger (up to 20 MW) scale. Hardware here—such as wind turbines, battery energy storage systems, and solar arrays—can be connected virtually to the Energy System Integration Facility's software modeling and power hardware-in-the-loop capabilities.


Person stands next to solar radiation measurement tool outside

Solar Radiation Research Laboratory

The Solar Radiation Research Laboratory is home to the world’s largest collection of radiometers in continuous operation. Researchers collect continuous measurements of basic solar radiation components using pyranometers, pyrheliometers, pyrgeometers, photometers, and spectroradiometers.


Share