Visitors to the Solar Decathlon, held October 5–15, have the option of attending a variety of consumer workshops, including one presented by NREL. "The Making of a Smart City" workshop will provide an overview of the site of the Solar Decathlon, called Peña Station NEXT.

The site is a 382-acre, mixed-use, transit-oriented development near Denver International Airport (DIA), and it is guided by a net-zero master plan that maximizes renewable energy and energy-efficiency measures.

The workshop will focus on how early integration of land-use planning, participation from electric utilities, and new modeling techniques might indicate a new business model for highly sustainable urban development. NREL's Matt Futch is one of the presenters, along with Alice Jackson of Xcel Energy, Mike Hess of Panasonic, Scott Morrissey of DIA, and Blake Fulenwider of Fulenwider Enterprises. It will be held from 2–3 p.m. on Monday, October 9, in the Wells Fargo Education Tent. See the full schedule of Solar Decathlon consumer workshops.