2008
May 2008
A "lunchbox" that turns high school students loose on algae may help solve the nation's energy challenges. At least that's the intent of an amazing learning tool called the Lunchbox Lab that gives students the power to examine strains of algae to see if they can produce hydrogen. Researchers at NREL and Futurefarmers designed and built the first Lunchbox Lab, which is now on display at New York City's Museum of Modern Art.
Only a few people were able to see the spark of hope and opportunity after the devastation of a rural Kansas town a year ago. But that spark, with NREL's help, has grown to a bright future for Greensburg as it pursues its vision of rebuilding as one of the greenest communities in America. It's the one-year anniversary of the nearly complete destruction of the farming community by a 1.7-mile-wide tornado, and the story of Greensburg's path to recovery is a remarkable one.
April 2008
NREL has five new Research Fellows, leaders in bioenergy, nanotechnology, photochemistry and photophysics, wind energy and hydrogen research.
Helena Chum, David Ginley, Garry Rumbles, Bob Thresher and John Turner join the top rank of internationally recognized NREL scientists and engineers who help guide the Laboratory's research.
He's only one manikin, but he's a manikin with NREL's mission at heart. ADAM, as he is affectionately called, is an Advanced Automotive Manikin who daily helps researchers find new ways to make cars more comfortable, while saving significant amounts of fuel. He does it by sweating. Usually in a car.
R&D Magazine picked NREL's Science and Technology Facility as one of the best laboratories built in the U.S. in 2007. In the 42nd Laboratory of the Year competition, the NREL facility was one of only two labs recognized as design trendsetters.
March 2008
NREL's significant profile at one of the leading world conferences on renewable energy included Director Dan Arvizu providing keynote remarks on March 4 at the business conference for the Washington International Renewable Energy Conference (WIREC 2008).
January 2008
NREL's Strategic Energy Analysis and Applications Center is leading efforts to design models that produce credible, reliable analyses that support NREL research. The Wind Deployment System, or WinDS, is one such model.
2007
December 2007
NREL is in the process of designing and building key facilities to meet the nation's crucial research objectives for clean and sustainable energy technologies. A $101 million increase to NREL's budget makes it possible for NREL to move forward with the construction of new facilities.
November 2007
"When people look back at the 21st Century's greatest inventions, renewable energy technologies will be on that list," said John Denniston, a partner with Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, at NREL's 20th Industry Growth Forum. The Forum brought together start-up companies and investors to transfer clean energy technologies into the marketplace.
November 2007
The National Mall in Washington, D.C., buzzing with hundreds of thousands of people who visited the Solar Village during the Solar Decathlon 2007 two weeks ago, has now settled and quieted.
October 2007
The time has come for college and university students from around the world to gather once again at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., to show off their innovative, creative, and environmentally friendly solar homes at the Solar Decathlon. This is the third Solar Decathlon, with the first and second such events held in 2002 and 2005.
July 2007
R&D Magazine recognizes the world's top 100 scientific advances with its annual R&D 100 Award for innovations with the most significant commercial potential. This year, NREL and Boeing Spectrolab were jointly awarded an R&D 100 Award for developing the first solar cell to break the 40% efficiency barrier, the solar equivalent of breaking the four-minute mile.
April 2007
Xcel Energy and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory recently unveiled a unique facility that uses electricity from wind turbines to produce and store pure hydrogen, offering what may become an important new template for future energy production.
January 2007
In his 2007 State of the Union Address, President George W. Bush championed energy alternatives. Among his emphases was the potential of biomass — plant materials — to fulfill a greater share of our nation's transportation fuel needs. The research and analysis provided by NREL and the National Bioenergy Center not only support the President's vision, but have helped to inform it.
2006
November 2006
NREL's geographic information systems (GIS) team produces maps of renewable energy resources that demonstrate which technologies, whether solar, wind, hydrogen or biomass, are the best, most workable energy solutions.
August 2006
In the 1990s, NREL worked to advance hybrid electric vehicles, particularly propulsion systems, building the technology's viability in the marketplace. Today, NREL is working with industry and other national labs to take this concept one step further with plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.
July 2006
The Science and Technology Facility is the latest addition to the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) state-of-the-art research buildings on the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) campus. The showcase facility is essential to the development and commercialization of promising new renewable energy technologies.
June 2006
Researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have contributed to the rebirth of a solar energy technology in the Southwest. The first concentrating solar power (CSP) plant built in the United States in 16 years began operation in Arizona in December 2005.
February 2006
On February 21, 2006, during the second-ever visit to NREL by a United States President, President George W. Bush told employees their work is appreciated and that he is committed to clearing up any discrepancies in funding.
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