Rachel Romero, PE, joined NREL in 2010 and is an energy engineer and project leader. She is a project manager for the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon^®, a collegiate competition that inspires more than 1,000 students annually to become the next generation of zero energy buildings professionals. Rachel is the competition manager for the Solar Decathlon Design Challenge and also supports Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) projects through technical and project leadership, including developing technical solutions, leading training development, and working with partners on high-performance buildings.

Rachel is an active member of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) through participation and leadership in standing and technical committees.

Research Interests

Advancing the high-performance buildings industry

Increasing knowledge in building science through workforce development and competitions

Industry partnerships and technical assistance to advance and accelerate integration of energy efficiency and distributed energy generation

Education

B.S., Architectural Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder

Associations and Memberships

Member and Volunteer, ASHRAE

Member, International Institute of Sustainable Labs (I²SL)

Featured Work

Brilliant Execution of Smart Labs: Employing Best Practices to Improve Safety and Reduce Energy for Sustainable Labs: Preprint NREL/CP-7A40-77664

Implementing Zero Energy Design with the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon NREL/CP-7A40-78417

2022 Solar Decathlon Competition Guide

Awards and Honors

Individual

• Hope College 10 Under 10 Alumni (2019)
• ASHRAE Distinguished Service Award (2019)
• ASHRAE New Faces of Engineering (2016)
• ASHRAE 2016 Youth Excellence and Achievement Award (2016)

Team

• NREL Chairman's Award (2020)