The NREL Foundation is an independent, nonprofit 501(c)(3) entity that supports NREL’s clean energy mission by leveraging non-federal funding to expand research & development, technology incubation and STEM education.

NREL was designated a national laboratory by President George Bush on September 16, 1991. But the birth of the organization began more than two decades before. In 2017, NREL celebrated 40 years of driving advanced energy research.

View some of the many accomplishments celebrated over NREL’s initial four decades, and learn more about NREL’s mission and programs.