It’s no secret that Governor Jared Polis wants Colorado to become more environmentally friendly. In 2019, he released his “Roadmap to 100% Renewable Energy by 2040 and Bold Climate Action” report, which details the steps his administration is taking to turn Colorado “green” and support green energy initiatives.
Unfortunately, as I previously detailed, there are many obstacles on the road to green energy, and many times “green” energy is anything but environmentally friendly.
Luckily, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), a U.S. Department of Energy lab in Golden, tackles these problems head-on. And NREL may be getting a partner in this venture. Indeed, if everything goes according to plan, Colorado will soon be home to a new Global Energy Park, or “Glo Park.”
Energizing the Future
At the end of October 2021, Jefferson County’s board of commissioners approved a land swap of 9.27 acres inside Pleasant View Community Park for 166 acres of undeveloped U.S. Department of Energy-owned land that’s just north of NREL. The reason for this land swap is to facilitate the building of Glo Park just south of NREL’s twin parking garages. But what is Glo Park, and why is proximity to NREL important?
Colorado is home to NREL, the only U.S. federal laboratory dedicated to developing energy-efficient technologies and renewable energy. However, while NREL allows engineers, scientists, industry entrepreneurs and universities to use state-of-the-art equipment to develop energy technologies, it’s a closed-security facility, meaning not everyone can work there or even enter the buildings.
While NREL has programs to help bridge scientific discovery and market adoption, it is first and foremost a research lab, not a commercial enterprise. Consequently, the technologies discovered by NREL often don’t have a way to market. That’s where Glo Park comes in.
The vision for Glo Park is straightforward. It’s a public/private renewable energy industrial park where businesses, universities and energy enterprises can lease space and collaborate with NREL. Ideally, this will enable energy companies to commercialize the renewable energy technologies invented at NREL and bring this tech to market.
In addition to partnering with NREL, Glo Park will partner with the Colorado School of Mines, the Department of Energy (DOE), Colorado State University and the University of Colorado with the stated purpose of allowing collaboration between academia, government, and industry experts.
According to Polis, this will propel innovations in green tech and give rise to new energy companies. “This is going to be the center for Colorado’s renewable energy future. I think it could have a very profound economic impact,” Polis told the Denver Business Journal.
Steps to Overcome
As of this writing, the next steps for Glo Park’s development include seeking solicitations from developers. Tobin Follenweider, deputy executive director of the state Department of Personnel and Administration, stated to the Denver Post, “We don’t yet have a timeline for that, but we would expect it to take at least two to three months while we identify the best qualified developer for the project.”
Additionally, Polis told the Denver Post that Glo Park has entered the public/private partnership stage, and money for building the park will come primarily from businesses and companies looking to set up shop in Glo Park. Plus, the DOE still must formalize its relationship with Glo Park.
Still, Polis is confident Glo Park will overcome these hurdles, “I think the hardest part is behind us, which was pulling together the different state landowners, federal landowners, the county, around a cohesive vision and plan for the property with all the stakeholders on board.” Polis further said that leadership at both the DOE and NREL are supportive of Glo Park, and there’s already been significant interest from the commercial energy industry.
A Step Forward in Green Energy?
The push for renewable energy isn’t going away anytime soon. Whether you believe in Climate Change or not, the fact is the U.S. is moving away from carbon-based fuel sources and trying to adopt and implement more environmentally friendly alternatives. Unfortunately, the energy alternatives we currently have fall far short of their promised “environmental friendliness,” and they aren’t reliable enough to replace fossil fuel sources completely.
Labs like NREL are looking for ways to solve these problems. But research and breakthroughs in the lab need a way to become commercialized. Consequently, a partnership between an energy lab like NREL and commercial companies at a place like Glo Park is a smart move.
