NREL’s New Portal Summarizes Opportunities for Collaboration in Cleantech

I wish I had a dollar for every time a cleantech inventor or would-be entrepreneur has asked me about the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL), and how to engage with them to develop and commercialize technology. Up until recently, I had no real value to add, other than to direct them to the main NREL website, and wish them good luck. And I’d know that it was considerable luck they would need, because the site was not organized with this question in mind; it appeared that there was no good summary of the open clean energy issues that the government is pursuing.

Well apparently, the folks at NREL recognized this unmet need at just about the same time I did. When I ran across Commercialization Project Manager Matt Ringer at the Renewable Energy Finance Forum – Wall Street in New York City last week, he proudly showed me the portal that he and his team have created to address this very issue.

I was very impressed. Now, at a glance, there’s a quick, understandable summary of answers to the most obvious and popular questions:

What is NREL looking for, in terms of intellectual property from the private sector? Where are the specific opportunities for technologists to collaborate to develop ideas, work together productively, and bring forward market-ready solutions?

I urge readers to check out the new NREL Portal, formally called:

Energy Innovation portal – Linking Energy Technologies with Market Opportunities.