NREL Breaks Ground on Energy Materials and Processing at Scale Facility

The U.S. Department of Energy broke ground in September of 2024 on the Energy Materials and Processing at Scale (EMAPS) facility in Golden, Colorado. Located on the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's South Table Mountain Campus, the $224 million development will create a direct path from bench-scale materials and process innovations to pilot-scale integration and production. The 127,000-sf project will feature shared open labs where multidisciplinary teams will collaborate with industry partners to accelerate the commercialization and adoption of clean energy solutions. Housing programs in advanced manufacturing, grid modernization, and net-zero chemicals and fuels, the flexible building will provide adaptable research environments that can be rapidly configured to accommodate new experiments.

EMAPs will be sited adjacent to both the Research Support Facility and the Energy Systems Integration Facility to enhance existing capabilities. Acting as a new campus gateway, the high-performance structure will leverage sophisticated mechanical and electrical systems to achieve a minimum of LEED Gold certification.

Slated for completion in 2027, the project was designed by SmithGroup with JE Dunn as design-builder. The company was also selected for a new contracting agreement known as the Cooperative Construction Contracting Approach. The CCCA is an overarching vehicle that will enable NREL to expedite future construction processes and provide greater contracting efficiency on large projects. EMAPS will be the first building to be delivered under the CCCA agreement.