Government and Noncommercial Partnerships

NREL partners with federal agencies, state and local governments, international communities, and foundations to develop solutions for and meet clean energy goals.

Federal Agencies

NREL partners with the U.S. General Services Administration, national security sector, and U.S. departments of Agriculture, Defense, Energy, Interior, State, Transportation, and more to provide expertise and support in the following areas:

• Resilient buildings and building energy modeling and audits
• Cybersecurity research focused on evaluating new grid technologies
• Clean energy planning and deployment decision support
• Decarbonization across buildings, fleets, ports, and airports
• Energy-water-food nexus
• Energy management information systems
• Fleet electrification, electric vehicle procurement, and charging
• Geospatial data science and renewable energy resource assessments
• Geothermal energy operations and analysis
• Performance contracting (financing) for federal efficiency and distributed energy projects
• Resilience assessments, planning, tools, and technoeconomic analyses
• Site assessments for renewable energy, battery storage, and energy conservation measures
• Sustainable transportation and clean mobility solutions
• Technology advancements—including microgrid technology, advanced photovoltaics, energy storage systems, and innovative biofuels
• Technology demonstration at military test beds
• Jobs, workforce development, and economic development impact modeling.

Learn about recent U.S. Department of Defense research projects and capabilities in the NREL Defense Quarterly newsletter.

See our National Security and Defense Partnerships.

Find information about NREL's support for the U.S. Department of Energy's Federal Energy Management Program initiatives and its partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency for recovery and resilience.

State and Local Governments

NREL helps communities achieve clean energy and climate goals through affordable, equitable, secure, and resilient energy systems in the buildings, transportation, and power sectors. Partnering with NREL provides the following benefits:

• Community goal planning and prioritization (see Kentucky Community Partners With NREL To Meet 100% Clean Goals and LA100: The Los Angeles 100% Renewable Energy Study and Equity Strategies)
• NREL-developed data sets, maps, models, tools, and software for analysis, planning, and key decision-making for achieving communities' energy goals
• Technical assistance projects, including those that allow community partners to estimate rooftop photovoltaic potential, help local governments streamline processes for solar power, evaluate grid resiliency, forecast household solar adoption, and design a transit-oriented net-zero campus.

Learn more about how NREL works with state, local, and tribal governments, including islands and territories.

International Partners

NREL has extensive experience in adapting and applying energy solutions for countries and regions around the world. Learn more about our international activities and partnership with the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Foundations

NREL partners with foundations to provide more opportunities for organizations to support, create, and grow NREL research and initiatives. Here's more about NREL foundation partnerships:

• Foundations provide supplemental funding to local governments to work with NREL to achieve their clean energy goals.
• Foundation partners include Wells Fargo Foundation, Children's Investment Fund Foundation, Hewlett Foundation, The Solar Foundation, and many more.
• The NREL Foundation enables philanthropists to seed and drive important research and initiatives in partnership with NREL more easily.