RASEI (pronounced RAY-see) is a joint institute between the

University of Colorado Boulder The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder, CU, or Colorado) is a public research university in Boulder, Colorado. Founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a state, it is the flagship university of the University of Colorado syst ...

(CU-Boulder) and the

National Renewable Energy Laboratory The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in the US specializes in the research and development of renewable energy, energy efficiency, energy systems integration, and sustainable transportation. NREL is a federally funded research and d ...

(NREL); located in

Boulder, Colorado Boulder is a home rule city that is the county seat and most populous municipality of Boulder County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 108,250 at the 2020 United States census, making it the 12th most populous city in Color ...

. The institute's functions are to address complex energy problems through a

multidisciplinary Interdisciplinarity or interdisciplinary studies involves the combination of multiple academic disciplines into one activity (e.g., a research project). It draws knowledge from several other fields like sociology, anthropology, psychology, ec ...

and multi-institutional approach. It provides expedited solutions to transform energy by applying

renewable energy Renewable energy is energy that is collected from renewable resources that are naturally replenished on a human timescale. It includes sources such as sunlight, wind, the movement of water, and geothermal heat. Although most renewable energy ...

science,

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

and analysis through research, education and industry partnerships.

RASEI's Goals

* Create an Integrated Energy Campus: To create a world-leading venue for energy research and education that benefits from the concentration of academic institutions, federal research laboratories and businesses involved in the

green economy A green economy is an economy that aims at reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities, and that aims for sustainable development without degrading the environment. It is closely related with ecological economics, but has a more politi ...

along

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

’s

Front Range The Front Range is a mountain range of the Southern Rocky Mountains of North America located in the central portion of the U.S. State of Colorado, and southeastern portion of the U.S. State of Wyoming. It is the first mountain range encountere ...

. * Perform Innovative Research: To develop a comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach to research that meets the scientific and institutional energy challenges of the 21st century. * Educate Energy Leaders and Workforce: Provide programs, lectures and opportunities that prepare students to become the energy leaders of the future. * Develop Industry Partnerships: To engage industry partners in comprehensive programs involving energy research, education, policy and technology development.

Understanding the Scale and Complexity of the Energy Challenge

We face an unprecedented global energy challenge. Energy demand is projected to double within the next few decades and continue to grow through the end of the century. To meet this ever-growing demand, energy industries of the 21st century need an entirely new

infrastructure Infrastructure is the set of facilities and systems that serve a country, city, or other area, and encompasses the services and facilities necessary for its economy, households and firms to function. Infrastructure is composed of public and priv ...

that produces more energy at a lower cost, uses energy more efficiently, and improves the security of supply by relying more on domestic and stable sources and produces far fewer

greenhouse gas emissions Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities strengthen the greenhouse effect, contributing to climate change. Most is carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels: coal, oil, and natural gas. The largest emitters include coal in China and lar ...

. The scale and complexity of the energy challenge, along with the intense competition in the energy marketplace, necessitate a comprehensive approach for developing new energy industries. A measured investment from the public and private sectors and new models for public-private partnerships are required. Understanding the dynamics of this new marketplace and the factors governing a sustainable energy system are crucial for emerging energy industries to succeed. These systems must meet multiple requirements, such as scaling to a

terawatt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James Watt ...

, use readily available resources for manufacturing, and have a sustainable lifecycle.

Notable people

Arthur Nozik Arthur J. Nozik (born 1936) is a researcher at the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL). He is also a professor at the University of Colorado, which is located in Boulder. He researches semiconductor quantum dots at the National Renewable Energy L ...

References

{{Reflist University of Colorado Boulder Renewable energy in the United States