The Energy Systems Integration Facility (ESIF) will soon be the nation’s only facility that can conduct integrated megawatt-scale testing of all components and strategies. This is critical to deploying renewable energy and other energy-efficiency technologies into the nation’s electric grid at utility scale.

The 175,000 sq. ft. facility will house laboratories and office space for 200 to 250 NREL researchers and support staff. The ESIF will include a state-of-the-art high-performance computing and data center expanding NREL’s capabilities in modeling and simulation of renewable-energy technologies and their integration into the existing energy infrastructure.

“Incorporating large amounts of renewable energy into the aging grid is going to require a transformation in this country’s electricity infrastructure,” says NREL Director Dan Arvizu.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) signed a contract with the design-build team of JE Dunn and SmithGroup to begin design and construction for the latest research building on the NREL campus.

The project will to meet LEED Gold Certification (at minimum) and will be a model for energy efficient facilities. Construction of the $135M project will start in the spring of 2011 and complete in late 2012.