Gov. Jared Polis’ plan to build an epicenter for renewable energy development took another step forward on Thursday, with the completion of land swaps for his Global Energy Park to be constructed on. 

The “Glo Park” campus is intended to house companies and universities focused on the development of and transition toward clean, renewable, sustainable and equitable energy solutions. Polis said the campus would foster collaboration in the renewable energy industry and help Colorado lead global energy innovation. 

In October 2021, the Capitol Development Committee unanimously approved the trade of dozens of acres of undeveloped land to make property next to the National Renewable Energy Lab in Golden available for the campus. Those land swaps are now finalized. 

“This is an exciting step in the process to bring Glo Park to life and continuing Colorado’s leadership in the renewable energy sector,” Polis said. “This innovation campus builds upon our bold work creating good-paying jobs for Coloradans, saving people money on energy bills, and continuing to make progress on our goal of achieving 100% renewable energy by 2040.” 

Construction of the campus is scheduled to begin in the third quarter of 2023, according to the project’s website. 

Polis said the campus has already garnered attention from international energy transition companies, with prospective tenants signing letters of intent to claim their space within the Glo Park. 

The state released a call for developers to help build the northern portion of the campus in January 2022. The announcement said the campus will be a net-zero facility with on-site laboratories, offices and common areas, intended to serve as a demonstration site for breakthroughs in renewable energy research. The campus is meant to support up to 100 visiting partners to work with the National Renewable Energy Lab’s research staff.

Dr. Martin Keller, the lab’s director and alliance president, said the benefits of establishing a hub for energy innovation in Colorado “cannot be understated.” 

“Our strength is in working together and meeting future energy needs and will require the greatest minds assembled in inclusive collaboration,” Keller said. “For NREL’s commercial partners, Glo Park will provide a centralized stage to accelerate technologies into the marketplace and drive global climate initiatives.”