As Colorado Energy News reported last week, Secretary of Energy Stephen Chu’s visit to the NREL was a bellweather event not just because it was his first visit to the Golden facility in his official capacity. The funding announcements he made during the visit were the big news.

The more than $100 million headed to the NREL will accelerate construction of the Laboratory’s Golden campus, dramatically expanding NREL’s capacity for renewable energy research and partnerships while showcasing some of the world’s most energy efficient buildings. An additional $10 million has been designated
for improvements at the Laboratory’s National Wind
Technology Center near Boulder.

“These investments are an unmistakable signal from DOE about the Laboratory’s central role in advancing President Obama’s clean energy agenda,” NREL Director Dan Arvizu said. “It is a significant investment in NREL’s future.”

Chu also announced that $93 million in funding has been allocated by the federal government for American wind energy research and development, as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The NREL can apply for grants from this pool of funds, as well.

Speaking to the assembled crowd and press representatives at the Golden facility, Secretary Chu said, “The goal is to set America on a course for a secure and sustainable energy future.” He restated President Obama’s target of generating 10 percent (PDF) of the nation’s electricity from renewables by 2012.

Last year, wind energy accounted for 42 percent of all new energy generation capacity in the United States. according to statistics from the Department of Energy.

Since mid-February, $26 billion of the nearly $100 billion in stimulus funds for energy has been authorized for clean energy projects, according to Chu. He said the DOE’s goal is to award 70% of the funds by Labor Day.

Another important point emphasized by the Secretary is his push to have the DOE speed up its loan-making process, from years to months. “This is a very sick economy. If it takes four years to get a new set of loans out, either the patient will have recovered by himself — or he will have died.” He also pledged the department would drastically reduce the amount of paperwork required for the loan process.

“We want to launch projects quickly and logically that will provide enduring value,” said Mr. Chu.

That said, the Secretary reminded the audience the speedier turnaround time for loans would come with greater oversight.
“The president has made very clear that he holds all agencies accountable for making sure the states spend this money wisely.”

To loud applause, Mr. Chu also announced a $100 million grant to the renewable energy lab for building upgrades and other infrastructure fixes to its biorefinery, which is exploring ethanol- and cellulose-based fuel.

Before the talk, Mr. Chu and Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter toured a wing of the N.R.E.L. facility focused on developing low-cost photovoltaic technology. The NREL set an efficiency record last year for a thin-film photovoltaic cell at 19.9 percent, nearly that of the more common silicon-based solar cell. Silicon-free cells have potential because they are cheaper to produce and replace than traditional solar panels.