Solar Energy Research Center Opens at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
It will support the development of artificial solar-fuel generation technology
BERKELEY, Calif. — The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) has announced the opening of its $59 million Solar Energy Research Center. Officially renamed Chu Hall after former Energy Secretary and LBNL director Steven Chu, the building was designed by SmithGroupJJR.
The new 39,000-square-foot, three-story building is the new home for 100 researchers, most from the DOE-funded Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis (JCAP), the nation’s largest research program dedicated to the development of artificial solar-fuel generation technology. Previously, the JCAP researchers worked in a leased space in West Berkeley. In addition to JCAP researchers, the building also houses the administrative offices of the Kavli Energy NanoSciences Institute, which explores energy science and nanomaterials.