¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ RASEI

The Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute, or RASEI, is a joint institute between the University of Colorado Boulder (¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ Boulder) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). RASEI benefits from the strengths of its members and relationships between its partner institutions. NREL is the only national laboratory dedicated to advancing renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies from concept to commercial application. ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ Boulder is a premier institution for research and education, with a broad spectrum of capabilities and disciplines that are well represented in the RASEI community.

RASEI was established in 2009, with the aim of amplifying existing collaborations between ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ Boulder and NREL members and building new ones to accelerate the development of renewable and sustainable energy solutions. Though ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ Boulder and NREL are separated by 25 miles (¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ Boulder is in downtown Boulder and NREL is located on the east side of Golden), RASEI brings together researchers from the two institutions to share ideas and knowledge, collaborate on new directions, and build interdisciplinary teams. Check out the link on RASEI history to find out more about how things have developed since 2009.

The RASEI community is comprised of over 50 RASEI Fellows and more than 100 research scientists and engineers from across a broad range of disciplines. RASEI is a synergistic part of the research initiatives at both ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ Boulder and NREL, serving as a bridge and connecting with the broader community at the institutional, state, national, and international levels. RASEI brings together researchers to develop a systems level approach to addressing climate change, and specifically the transition to a clean and sustainable global energy economy. Drawing upon expertise in areas that range from economics, social justice, policy, data analysis, materials sciences, device, and systems applications RASEI builds teams that are capable of a holistic approach. RASEI works with partners and collaborators to foster the commercialization and application of technologies. The combination of fundamental research in the social and physical sciences and applied engineering provides an excellent forum for the education and training of the next generation of researchers, policymakers, educators and entrepreneurs.

The RASEI community has developed a set of core values and principles that guide our work:

  • Excellence in basic and applied research, education, and technology transfer, and ensuring effective interweaving across these three areas.
  • Innovation through paradigm-shifting, high-impact research driven by end-to-end integration of modeling, analysis, and experimental realizations for the development of new technologies and policy approaches.
  • Diversity of participants and ideas in RASEI, of the workforce, and the field in general, by fostering a diverse community and the development of an inclusive environment.
  • Collaboration through national and international research networks.
  • Partnerships with industry, government laboratories, and designated minority-serving institutions across the globe.
  • Demonstration of actions that address the climate crisis equitably.
  • Mentoring and supporting early career researchers.
  • Creating and advancing a vibrant, tight-knit community, focused on the next generation of excellence. This community with be built upon, and driven by, the tenets of building a team that embraces diversity, welcomes, supports and respects it members and centralizes justice as a core belief.