(Kansas City, MO) July 19, 2012 – The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), managed by MRIGlobal, has joined the new Global Alliance of Solar Energy Research Institutes.

NREL signed a memo of understanding with institutes in Germany and Japan to encourage shared solar research and development goals and to accelerate progress toward sustainable long-term use of solar energy. The main focus of the newly formed alliance will be a researcher exchange program for collaborative scientific research.

The other members of the alliance are the Franhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems of Freiburg, Germany, and the Research Center for Photovoltaic Technologies, a research unit of Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology.

“NREL has been a solar energy pioneer since its inception as the Solar Energy Research Institute 35 years ago,” said Dan Arvizu, MRIGlobal Executive Vice President and NREL Director. “We are proud to join in this alliance with the leading institutions in Germany and Japan to enhance international solar energy research cooperation.”

MRIGlobal has managed and operated NREL for the U.S. Department of Energy since 1977, when the laboratory was formed as the Solar Energy Research Institute. It was designated as a national laboratory in 1991 and today is the nation’s only laboratory dedicated to renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development.

About MRIGlobal
MRIGlobal, a not-for-profit research and development organization, delivers global solutions in national security and defense, energy and environment, life and animal sciences, agriculture and food safety, and transportation. The organization performs scientific research, advanced engineering and program integration and management for clients in government, industry and academia.  Established in 1944 as Midwest Research Institute, MRIGlobal is based in Kansas City, Mo., operates in nine states and Washington, D.C., and manages more than 3,300 employees.

MRIGlobal is one of two partners in the Alliance for Sustainable Energy LLC, which manages and operates the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colo., for the U.S. Department of Energy.

For more information, visit www.mriglobal.org.