National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)

NREL is a large U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory operated by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, with nearly 4,000 staff across campuses in Colorado, Alaska, and Washington, D.C. Its industry-facing model combines specialized user facilities with physical and virtual test environments, allowing partners to evaluate technologies from component to grid-relevant scales. Companies can engage through cooperative research, technical services, user agreements, facility access, and technology licensing. Research is supported primarily by DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Office of Science, and Office of Electricity, with additional work funded through interagency agreements. A Technology Transfer Office supports partnership formation, intellectual property, licensing, and commercialization.