A Historic Energy Lab Gets a New Identity
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado, one of the country’s most recognizable clean-energy research hubs, has officially been renamed the National Laboratory of the Rockies. The U.S. Department of Energy announced the change Monday, saying it reflects the Trump administration’s broader approach to applied energy research. The lab’s website and communications have already adopted the new title.
By removing “renewable energy” from the name, the DOE signaled a shift toward a wider portfolio that may dilute the institution’s long-standing focus on clean-energy innovation. Lab director Jud Virden said the new identity “embraces a broader applied energy mission” aligned with DOE priorities for affordability and energy security.
From Solar Crisis to National Leadership
The laboratory traces its roots to 1977, when it opened as the Solar Energy Research Institute in direct response to the 1973 oil embargo that sent gasoline prices soaring and exposed U.S. dependence on foreign oil. Over the following decades, the lab expanded its focus and, in 1991, President George H.W. Bush renamed it the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
Since then, the facility has advanced major technologies that underpin today’s clean-energy sector, from photovoltaic breakthroughs to high-efficiency building materials and hydrogen fuel cell research. Its collaborations with universities and private industry cemented its role as a national engine for energy innovation.
Policy Shifts Shape the Lab’s Future
The renaming comes amid broader changes for federal energy institutions under President Trump’s second term. In May, the DOE eliminated at least 114 positions at the Colorado facility, and Energy Secretary Chris Wright — a former fracking executive — has argued that “climate alarmism” has hindered U.S. energy development.
These moves suggest a pivot toward technologies aligned with fossil fuels and energy security priorities, potentially reshaping the lab’s research pipeline and national partnerships. While the new mission is framed as more inclusive of applied energy fields, critics note that reframing such a prominent research center could slow momentum in areas where U.S. leadership has long been globally recognized.
A Signal with National Implications
For a laboratory that has spent nearly half a century driving renewable-energy progress, the rebranding marks a symbolic and practical turn. The coming years will reveal how the National Laboratory of the Rockies balances its legacy of clean-energy innovation with new directives from Washington, and how this pivot influences the broader U.S. energy landscape.
