NREL director Dan Arvizu to retire in September

GOLDEN — Dan E. Arvizu intends to retire at the end of September as director and chief executive of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden.

Arvizu also plans to retire as president of the Alliance for Sustainable Energy LLC, which manages NREL on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy.

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Energy secretary Ernest Moniz said under Arvizu’s guidance NREL has become “world renowned for clean-energy advancement and cutting-edge science.

“Just one example of Dan’s focus on driving technology innovation is the recently opened Energy Systems Integration Facility, which is addressing how new sources of energy can be integrated into our electric grid,” Moniz said. “Under Dan’s guidance, we have also seen a successful push to commercialize cutting-edge technologies, many of which are already having a real market impact. Dan is leaving a deep legacy of leadership and innovation, he will be missed.”

During Arvizu’s 10-year tenure, NREL’s research portfolio has nearly doubled, despite increasingly tight federal budgets. High-performance computing, electricity grid integration, and fundamental research in materials and biological science have emerged to complement major technology research and development programs in renewable generation, renewable fuels and buildings energy efficiency.

“It has been a privilege to work with the very talented and dedicated staff at NREL,” Arvizu said.  “I have no doubt the laboratory will continue to be an innovation leader and primary source of technical knowledge and insights that impact the transformation of global energy systems.”

In addition to his role as NREL director, Arvizu was appointed by two successive U.S. presidents to serve six-year terms on the National Science Board, which governs the National Science Foundation and advises the president and Congress on science policy. Arvizu presently serves as chairman.

He is a fellow of the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Public Administration. Arvizu serves on Moniz’s Energy Policy Council and on the leadership council of the National Laboratory Directors Council.

Before joining NREL, Arvizu was a chief technology officer with CH2M HILL Companies Ltd. Previously, he was an executive with Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, N.M.