NREL Receives Numerous Accolades from Industry and DOE
Lab honored with awards for sustainability; employees recognized for hydrogen, battery R&D
Thursday, November 08, 2012
The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE)'s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and its employees have garnered awards and recognition from industry groups for advancing energy research as well as furthering the lab's sustainable operating practices.Bryan Pivovar Named Charles W. Tobias Young Investigator by the Electrochemical Society The Charles W. Tobias Young Investigator Award from the Electrochemical Society recognizes outstanding scientific work in fundamental or applied electrochemistry, or solid-state science, by a young scientist or engineer. Bryan Pivovar was recognized for his work advancing polymer electrolyte fuels and liquid fed fuel cell systems. Pivovar is the Fuel Cell Group Manager in the Hydrogen Technologies and System Center (HTSC), and has just finished serving six months as acting center director for the HTSC. He leads NREL's fuel cell R&D efforts, which currently include programs in advanced catalysis, system contaminants, and anion exchange membranes. He has organized and chaired workshops for DOE and the Defense Department on sub-freezing effects on fuel cells and alkaline membrane fuel cells, and served as chair for the Gordon Research Conference-Fuel Cells. The Charles W. Tobias Young Investigator Award was presented to Pivovar at the 2012 Fall Meeting of the Electrochemical Society. John Turner Receives Lectureship Award from Japan Society of Coordination Chemistry The Japan Society of Coordination Chemistry recently awarded NREL Research Fellow John Turner with its first Lectureship Award for his pioneering work in the fields of solar hydrogen and fuel cells and for being an international spokesman for hydrogen production via photoelectrochemical water splitting. Back in 1998, Turner demonstrated that he could use the sun to extract hydrogen from water at a remarkable 12.4% efficiency. Since then, Turner and his colleagues at NREL have worked to improve the stability of the semiconductors and electrolytes that convert the sun's energy into hydrogen. There is renewed interest internationally in Turner's pioneering work. Matt Keyser Honored by CO-LABS with Award for High Impact Research Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper recently presented NREL Senior Scientist Matthew Keyser, with a 2012 CO-LABS Governor's Award for High Impact Research in the category of Foundational Technology for developing NREL's Large-Volume Battery Calorimeter (LVBC). The LVBC can detect heat loss and determine efficiency in the large batteries used to power electric vehicles. It is a crucial tool for automakers and battery companies, and is the only isothermal calorimeter capable of measuring the thermal efficiency of batteries for today's and future generations of advanced vehicles. CO-LABS advances awareness of Colorado's federal research laboratories' scientific resources and resulting research impacts. Colorado boasts 24 federally funded scientific research laboratories with a high concentration of renowned scientists whose work has global impact in a number of areas including natural resource management, climate change, renewable energy, photonics, and astrophysics. NREL Garners DOE Sustainability Award for Comprehensive Energy Management Recognizing NREL's innovation and commitment to sustainability, DOE recently presented NREL with the Sustainability Award for Comprehensive Energy Management. The team--Chris Gaul, Sal Sferrazza, Jennifer Daw, Shanti Pless, and Michelle Slovensky--demonstrated leadership in energy management by modeling and documenting the feasibility and cost effectiveness of renewable energy technologies. The Sustainability Awards highlight environmental sustainability projects and programs that reduce environmental impacts, enhance site operations, reduce costs and demonstrate excellence in pollution prevention and sustainable environmental stewardship. "The Sustainability Award winners are leading by example, showing what's possible when employees bring creativity, innovation, and dedication to their efforts to make the Department of Energy more sustainable," said DOE Deputy Secretary Daniel Poneman. "The efforts undertaken by these individuals and teams are helping the Department to deliver on President Obama's sustainability goals, while inspiring others both inside and outside of government to start investing in cost-saving clean energy technologies." NREL a Gold Award Winner in DOE's GreenBuy Program The GreenBuy Award Program recognizes DOE sites, such as NREL, that successfully purchase products that save energy, conserve water, and reduce health and environmental impacts. The program incentivizes DOE sites to purchase products that perform "beyond compliance." Through the GreenBuy Program, DOE sites take leadership in integrating sustainable approaches and materials into the way they carry out their missions. NREL recently was recognized for excellence in Sustainable Acquisitions and Green Purchasing by attaining Leadership Gold – the highest level under the awards program. NREL was acknowledged for using compostable materials in its cafeteria and meeting spaces, construction recycling, and recycling office materials (paper, electronics toner cartridges, etc.). NREL is also using native plants requiring less water in its newly landscaped areas. NREL's Platinum Federal Electronics Challenge (FEC) Award For the second year in a row, NREL's Federal Electronics Challenge Team has earned the Federal Electronics Challenge (FEC) Platinum-level Award, recognizing their actions to help the federal government improve its sustainable practices. NREL achieved the platinum-level award by implementing several Basic Ordering Agreements to help manage energy-efficient computing equipment requirements and costs. Other projects included creating a database to track lifecycle data for electronic equipment, ensuring the environmentally friendly disposal of electronics, and reviewing and revising NREL's policies to make the information technology environment even more energy efficient. The group also drafted a case study documenting NREL's electronics lifecycle management and sustainability practices. The study documents the decline in NREL's overall power consumption at the desktop level by about 78%. The Federal Electronics Challenge is managed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Office of the Federal Environmental Executive. NREL is the U.S. Department of Energy's primary national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development. NREL is operated for DOE by The Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC. ###
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