Risø National Laboratory
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Risø National Laboratory for Sustainable Energy (Danish: Risø Nationallaboratoriet for Bæredygtig Energi) is a scientific research organization north of Roskilde, Denmark. It was a research institute under the Danish Ministry of Science Technology and Innovation and consists of eight research departments: Biosystems, Polymer Department, Fuel Cells and Solid State Chemistry, Materials Research, Optics and Plasma Research, Radiation Research, Systems Analysis and Wind Energy. On 1 January 2007, the Technical University of Denmark merged with the Danish Institute for Food and Veterinary Research, the Danish Institute for Fisheries Research, Danish National Space Center, the Danish Transport Research Institute and Risø National Laboratory.
The mission of Risø is "to create new knowledge based on world-class research, and to ensure that our knowledge is used to promote the development of an innovative and sustainable society" (from the web page).
Risø was founded in 1956, but not officially inaugurated until 1958. Niels Bohr played a key role in the founding of Risø and was chairman of the Nuclear Energy Commission charged to promote the peaceful use of nuclear power.
The organization employs about 700 staff (660 man-years) as of 2005; the area of the grounds is over 2.6 square kilometres.
Risø is the site of three research nuclear reactors: DR-1, DR-2 and DR-3. DR-3 is a DIDO class nuclear reactor. All reactors are shut down and undergoing decommissioning.
Risø is today particularly noted for its involvement in wind energy and solid-oxide fuel cells.
National Environmental Research Institute (Danish: Danmarks Miljøundersøgelser (DMU)) The Risø area also house National Environmental Research Institute (NERI) part of the Danish University of Aarhus. NERI is "an independent research faculty under University of Aarhus. NERI undertakes scientific consultancy work, monitoring of nature and the environment as well as applied and strategic research. NERI’s task is to establish a scientific foundation for environmental policy decisions"
