Consul General Neil Ferrer Visits National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado
San Francisco, 26 May 2023 – Philippine Consul General in San Francisco Neil Frank R. Ferrer visited the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado on 19 May 2023.
Consul General Ferrer was accompanied by Consul Vanessa Bago-Llona, Honorary Consul Donna Lavigne of Colorado, Filipino American community leader Shiela DeForest, and Atty. Jay Lavigne.
They met with NREL officials, including Mr. Ron Benioff, NREL International Program Manager and executive director of the Net Zero World Action Center, which aims to accelerate the decarbonization of global energy systems; Ms. Derina Man, NREL’s technical lead on the Advanced Energy Partnership for Asia, Ms. Margaret Mann, Lead for Clean Energy Supply Chain and EV Storage Analysis, Mr. Jal Desai, a member of the Strategies & Implementation Group in the Integrated Application Center, and Mr. Akhil Magal, a project manager with the Integrated Decision Support group in the Accelerated Deployment and Decision Support Center.
Consul General Ferrer underscored the importance of energy cooperation between the U.S. and the Philippines, which has been discussed at various government levels, including the recent official visit of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to the U.S. and during Vice President Kamala Harris’s visit to the Philippines. He noted the development of an energy resiliency program for the Philippines with the support of the U.S.
The NREL team gave an overview of the NREL’s work, as well as the U.S.-Philippines energy cooperation. NREL conducts research in collaboration with partners worldwide and focuses on a range of clean energy systems, including solar energy, wind, water, geothermal, bioenergy, hydrogen, and energy efficiency. They also work on grid integration, grid modernization, clean energy transport, high-performance buildings, advanced materials, circular economy, and integrated energy systems. END
