Trump administration renames national renewable energy laboratory, drops “renewable” from title

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), a Colorado-based research institute that has driven major breakthroughs in solar, wind, and energy storage technologies for over five decades, will be renamed the “National Laboratory of the Rockies” under the Trump administration’s latest policy shift.

The Department of Energy announced the change earlier this month, stating it reflects the administration’s “broader vision” for energy research that moves away from the facility’s historical emphasis on renewable sources. Assistant Secretary of Energy Audrey Robertson explained the rationale simply: “We are no longer picking and choosing energy sources.” This name change accompanies a proposed 70% budget cut for fiscal year 2026, following earlier reductions that already forced the laboratory to lay off 114 employees this year.

NREL has been instrumental in developing many renewable energy innovations we use today, earning hundreds of patents for advances like cold-weather wind turbines, high-efficiency solar cells, and ultra-thin solar films that helped make clean energy cost-competitive. The facility emerged from the 1970s oil crisis and has maintained wind and solar research as listed priorities on its website, though spokesperson David Glickson acknowledged potential future changes.

Climate policy experts warn the rebranding signals a troubling shift away from renewable energy leadership. Barry Rabe from the Brookings Institution called it “part of an effort to marginalize any future role for renewable energy in the United States,” while the Union of Concerned Scientists’ Steve Clemmer described it as a “huge mistake that will increase energy costs, stifle innovation and economic growth, and make the grid less reliable.”