Secretary Chu Congratulates the National Renewable Energy Lab on 2011 GreenGov Presidential Award

WASHINGTON, D.C. – November 2, 2011 – (RealEstateRama) — U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu today congratulated the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) on winning the 2011 GreenGov Presidential Award for Green Innovation. NREL’s Green Data Center was recognized for its innovative design that minimizes its energy footprint and reduces costs, without compromising service quality.

Announced this morning by the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), the GreenGov Presidential Awards celebrate extraordinary achievement in the pursuit of President Obama’s Executive Order on Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy and Economic Performance (Executive Order 13514).

“NREL’s pioneering data center recognized today with the GreenGov Presidential Award for Green Innovation is a testament to the Energy Department’s leadership in realizing the nation’s clean energy future,” said Secretary Chu. “I applaud the NREL team for leading by example on their commitment to innovation, which is helping to improve energy efficiency, reduce pollution and save taxpayers money.”

NREL’s Green Data Center supports the Lab’s 220,000 ft2 LEED Platinum Research Support Facility (RSF). By using the climate as a natural coolant; capturing waste heat to ventilate in the cooler months; and employing advanced equipment to minimize energy usage, the data center is designed to help achieve the building’s net-zero energy goals. Due to these efforts and employee education, the data center is expected to save $200,000 annually in electricity costs and reduce carbon emissions by nearly 5 million pounds per year.

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Source: Department of Energy