Following is recent science and energy news.
May 3, 2013
NREL Staff Recognized for Breakthrough Technologies 
The Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) recently recognized the professionals behind the lab’s greatest innovations from the past year during its Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer Awards.
April 26, 2013
Combining Strategies Speeds the Work of Enzymes
Enzymes could break down cell walls faster – leading to less expensive biofuels for transportation – if two enzyme systems are brought together in an industrial setting, new research by the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory suggests.
April 12, 2013
NREL Names New Executives to Lead Bioenergy, Bioscience and Energy Systems Integration Facility
The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) recently made three key hires to lead research centers. NREL has named Tom Foust, a nine-year NREL veteran, as its National Bioenergy Center Director; David Post as the Center Director for the Energy Systems Integration Facility (ESIF); and Rich Greene as Biosciences Center Director.
April 8, 2013
NREL Employees Lauded by Industry Peers
Employees of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE)’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) were recently recognized by industry peers for their work in grid integration, industry advancement and electrochemistry. NREL was also named an Outstanding Large Company by IEEE.
March 22, 2013
Makeover Puts CHARMM Back in Business
Software helps molecular scientists design super enzymes to process biofuels faster.
February 26, 2013
Biomass Analysis Tool Is Faster, More Precise
NREL invention quickly and accurately determines cell wall chemistry traits that can lower feedstock costs for biofuels industry.
February 22, 2013
NREL's Economic Benefit to Colorado totals $814.8 Million in FY 2012
The net economic benefit of the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to Colorado’s economy was $814.8 million in fiscal year 2012, according to a study by the University of Colorado’s Leeds School of Business.
February 21, 2013
NREL Employees Honored by Industry Associations
The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE)'s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and its employees have garnered new awards and recognition from industry groups for advancing energy efficiency and renewable energy research.
February 8, 2013
NREL and Partners Demonstrate Quantum Dots that Assemble Themselves
Scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory and other labs have demonstrated a process whereby quantum dots can self-assemble at optimal locations in nanowires, a breakthrough that could improve solar cells, quantum computing, and lighting devices.
January 30, 2013
Marine Corps Taps NREL to Help Replace Aging Steam Plant with Efficient Biomass Cogeneration
The Marine Corps Recruiting Depot (MCRD) on Parris Island, seven miles south of Beaufort, South Carolina, has far exceeded its projected life and is no longer cost-effective to operate. MCRD staff tasked NREL to help replace this artifact with an efficient biomass cogeneration facility.
January 28, 2013
NREL Acquires Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicles from Toyota to Support Hydrogen Infrastructure, Production, and Vehicle Performance Studies
The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) recently received four fuel cell hybrid vehicles - advanced (FCHV-adv) on loan from Toyota through a two-year Cooperative Research and Development Agreement. These vehicles will help NREL enhance its research related to hydrogen fueling infrastructure, renewable hydrogen production, and vehicle performance.
January 14, 2013
NREL Research Fellow Howard Branz Named Fellow of American Physical Society
A solar energy scientist at the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory who has done pioneering and breakthrough work on thin films and nanostructures, has been elected a fellow of the American Physical Society (APS).
