Overview:
The new name of NREL, National Laboratory of the Rockies, was announced on Dec. 1 and went into effect immediately.
This story, written by Corinne Westeman, was originally published by the Golden Transcript and COLab.
For three decades, Goldenites and others have read NREL aloud as “en-rell.”
Now, they’ll have to figure out a way to say “NLR.”
On Dec. 1, the U.S. Department of Energy announced the National Renewable Energy Laboratory would be renamed the National Laboratory of the Rockies. The new name took effect immediately.
“For decades, this laboratory and its scientific capabilities have pushed the boundaries of what’s possible and delivered impact to the nation,” NLR Director Jud Virden said in a press release. “This new name embraces a broader applied energy mission entrusted to us by the (DOE) to deliver a more affordable and secure energy future for all.”
The lab changed its name on all public communications and official correspondence on Dec. 1, including changing its social media accounts. Physical things across the campus — such as signs, flags, badges and vehicle decals — will take longer to update.
Officials at NLR were still determining how long this process will take and how much money it will cost, saying it will likely take a few weeks to get a better idea.
Laboratory management and leadership were made aware of the name change beforehand.
As to whether this name change means NLR will be researching other types of energies in addition to or instead of renewable energies, the DOE has stated the lab will “continue to conduct pioneering research in applied energy, promote innovation and seek maximum return on taxpayer investment.”
Laboratory officials didn’t comment further on the subject.
Investing in science
The National Laboratory of the Rockies was founded in response to the 1973 oil crisis, the Dec. 1 press release described. The lab developed and integrated various technologies for every facet of the energy system, from generation to distribution to end use.
The lab was initially called the Solar Energy Research Institution, or SERI, when the Golden campus opened in 1977. It was then renamed NREL in 1991, under President George H.W. Bush.
Officials stated Dec. 1 that the NLR renaming reflects the broader vision that President Donald Trump and his administration have for the lab’s applied energy research while simultaneously honoring the lab’s natural surroundings in Golden.
“The energy crisis we face today is unlike the crisis that gave rise to NREL,” Assistant Secretary of Energy Audrey Robertson said. “We are no longer picking and choosing energy sources. Our highest priority is to invest in the scientific capabilities that will restore American manufacturing, drive down costs, and help this country meet its soaring energy demand. The National Laboratory of the Rockies will play a vital role in those efforts.”
U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, D-Colorado, commented on the name change, describing how he would work to ensure NLR continues “its groundbreaking work to achieve an affordable, net-zero energy economy” under its new name.
He added, though, that Trump’s “Drill, baby, drill” slogan “will never solve our nation’s most complex energy challenges”, saying that the U.S. must pursue innovation to lead “the global energy transition.”
Unleashing energies
The name change caps off a strange and momentous year at the National Laboratory of the Rockies.
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright visited the Golden campus April 3, where he encouraged its employees to “unleash all of your energies and talents” and “focus on science and technology, and not on bureaucracy.
To that end, he said he signed secretarial orders to ensure work could get done faster and cheaper.
As an example, Wright and then-NREL Director Martin Keller explained how, soon after Wright assumed office, Keller asked Wright to help accelerate construction of the Golden campus’ EMAPS, or Energy Materials and Processing at Scale facility. The lab broke ground on it last year and it’s expected to be completed in 2027.
When Wright visited, members of the media asked him about potential layoffs, and he didn’t give a definitive answer.
A month later, though, 114 employees and contractors were laid off as part of the Trump administration’s cuts. This included people working in both research and operations.
Then, on July 22, Virden was named Keller’s successor as NREL director. Virden officially took over the position Oct. 1.
Now, NLR will spend at least the first few weeks of 2026 transitioning to its new name.
For more information on the National Laboratory of the Rockies, visit its website. The domain was still nrel.gov at the time of publication.