Entrance to National Renewable Energy Laboratory, one of three renewable energy tours available on HIMC2017 Bonus Day. Photo via US DOE
After the speakers, sessions, events, and trainings wrap up at the 5th annual HOMER International Microgrid Conference (HIMC2017) next month, conference attendees have the option of one more incredible day of learning and fun before heading back home and back to work. The HIMC “Bonus Day,” taking place September 21, 2017, in Denver, Colorado, is a unique opportunity to learn about some of the leading renewable energy organization headquartered here in the “Front Range” of the Rocky Mountains. The day includes three separate renewable energy tours.
Start the day with a three-hour insider tour of the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL): As the nation’s leading center for renewable energy research, NREL is developing new energy technologies to benefit both the environment and the economy. Explore NREL’s sustainable campus and visit its Energy Systems Integration Facility (ESIF), a connection point where industry, academia, and government work together on the most complex and important global energy challenges of our time. The tour will also include the Science and Technology Facility (S&TF), where, solar cell, thin-film, and nanostructure research are conducted, plus a stop at the Research Support Facility (RSF), an example of sustainable, high-performance design that incorporates the best in energy efficiency, environmental performance, and advanced controls using a “whole building” integrated design process.
Alliance for Sustainable Colorado’s LEED Platinum building, the Alliance Center, in Denver. Photo via causeplanet.org
Two other tours round out the HIMC Bonus Day. First, visit SolarTAC, the nation’s largest public-private outdoor solar testing and demonstration facility. Tour SolarTAC’s integrated testing facility to learn about the history and future of the site, including GridNxt, which will offer innovators an opportunity to interconnect and test new battery technologies, advanced inverters, component interoperability, and grid management systems. Finally, get an inside look at a leading-edge effort to bring clean energy to existing commercial buildings with a visit to the Alliance for Sustainable Colorado’s LEED Platinum building, the Alliance Center. Located in downtown Denver, The Alliance Center is the site of the Direct Current (DC) Microgrid installation, a pilot project to measure the energy-efficiency differential between alternating current and direct current on the same circuits and zones.
Space for the tours is limited – secure your spot today by filling out our Bonus Day Renewable Energy Tours form. Please refer questions to Keely Drever.