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Energy Innovations Newsletter
The Energy Innovations newsletter is published three times per year and highlights recent accomplishments, awards, and research at NREL. You may subscribe to receive notifications of the Energy Innovations newsletter by email.
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Energy Innovations Archives
Spring 2009: (PDF 1.1 MB)
NREL's news page includes up-to-the-minute news and information from the laboratory's major research and development areas, industry partners, and related technologies. For news releases, visit the NREL news release page.
2009 News
October 30, 2009
DOE-NREL Launch Mid-size Turbine Development Project 
Since the early 90s, the wind energy industry has experienced substantial growth in both the utility and residential markets.
October 23, 2009
DOE Seeks Partners to Expand Wind for Schools Activities
Opportunity provides universities, state institutions, and nongovernmental organizations funding and technical support to develop educational programs to improve the understanding of wind energy technology.
October 15, 2009
New Siemens Research Turbine to be Commissioned at NREL
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Siemens Energy Inc. will formally commission a new 2.3 megawatt Siemens wind turbine at the National Wind Technology Center on Monday, Oct 19. The turbine is the centerpiece of what will be the biggest government-industry research partnership for wind power generation ever undertaken.
October 13, 2009
How do Wind and Solar Power Affect Grid Operations: The Western Wind and Solar Integration Study
This paper reviews the scope of the study, the development of wind and solar datasets, and the results to date on three scenarios.
October 8, 2009
NREL Concentrating Solar Power Team Receives Two Awards Under DOE’s National Laboratory Call for Research and Development Projects
On October 8, Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Steven Chu announced that the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) will receive funding for two proposals submitted to the DOE Solar EnergyTechnologies Program in June 2009: (1) Advanced Thermal Energy Storage and Solar-Field Test and Evaluation Facilities ($4.4 million) and (2)Nanomaterials for Thermal Energy Storage in Concentrating Solar Power Plants ($1 million). These awards complement ongoing NREL research and development in support of CSP. Over the coming months, NREL will reach out to CSP stakeholders to refine the plans for the facilities to meet the near- and long-term needs of the CSP industry.
October 1, 2009
NREL Tests Advanced Air Conditioner Designed for Western Climates
NREL recently tested the performance of the Coolerado Corporation's hybrid air-conditioning unit, demonstrating its energy efficiency.
September 30, 2009
Recovery Act Helps to Fund Transmission Line for Montana Wind Power
DOE announced on September 16 that a major transmission line to carry power from proposed wind power facilities near Cut Bank, Montana, will draw on funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
September 28, 2009
Weathering System Cuts Product Testing Time
NREL's new Ultra-Accelerated Weathering System can quickly give an accurate portrait of what the sun will do to a product in 10, 20 or 30 years. This helps companies determine a service-life guarantee for a product.
September 14, 2009
Award-Winning Battery's Secret Is 'Buried'
Actually, the secret's out. In two years, Planar Energy Devices plans to commercialize an innovative, solid-state lithium-ion microbattery developed by NREL researchers.
August 26, 2009
NWTC Installs Multimegawatt Research Turbines
NREL’s National Wind Technology Center installed the first of two multimegawatt wind turbines last week to be used for research to advance wind turbine performance and reliability.
August 24, 2009
Midwestern Utilities Partner on EHV Transmission Study for Renewables
A group of Midwest utilities including American Transmission Co. (ATC), American Electric Power, and MidAmerican Energy are partnering on a comprehensive study to identify the transmission infrastructure needed to tap the region’s rich wind resources and transport the power to consumers in markets to the east.
August 12, 2009
Northwestern Transmission Line to Carry 575 Megawatts of Wind Power
DOE announced on Monday that construction is underway for the McNary-John Day transmission project in Oregon and Washington, funded by $343 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
August 10, 2009
For States to Reach Full Wind Potential, National Effort Needed
South Dakota ranks among the top five states when it comes to wind energy potential. The state could produce more than one-trillion kilowatt hours of electricity each year. That's enough to power almost a quarter of the entire country. But when it comes to wind installation, South Dakota barely makes the top 20. Steve Wegman, Executive Director of the South Dakota Wind Energy Association, says there are a couple of reasons for that. "Some of the problems that we have are lack of transmission capabilities."
August 4, 2009
Award-Winning Reflector to Cut Solar Cost
NREL's partnership with SkyFuel yields a more cost-effective parabolic trough technology.
July 16, 2009
2008 Wind Technologies Market Report
The report analyzes a range of developments in the wind market, including trends in wind project installations, turbine size, turbine prices, wind project costs, project performance, and wind power prices. The report also details trends in project financing, a key concern for the wind industry in the current economic climate, as well as trends in project ownership, public policy, and the integration of wind power into the electrical grid.
July 13, 2009
Unique Research Tool Aims to Reduce PV Cost
NREL has installed its first Atmospheric Processing Platform to prototype lower-cost thin film solar cells from inks and other solutions.
July 13, 2009
Testing the Potential of Mid-level Ethanol Blends
Can E15 and E20—gasoline blended with 15% and 20% ethanol—help us meet national goals for renewable fuels, which include producing 36 billion gallons of ethanol per year by 2022? That's what government and industry researchers want to know in a study of mid-level ethanol-gasoline blends sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Researchers from two DOE national labs, NREL and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, are collaborating with industry to evaluate the potential of using these mid-level blends in engines that now run on gasoline or E10. The story's just beginning to unfold in the first report from this study.
July 9, 2009
DOE/BLM Announce Availability of Solar Energy Study Area Maps
The Department of Energy and the Bureau of Land Management announced the availability of maps that identify 24 tracts of BLM-administered land for in-depth study for solar development. A public comment period ends July 30, 2009.
July 7, 2009
NREL Collaborating with Spire to Develop Solar Cells with 42% Efficiency
Through a Photovoltaic Technology Incubator Award, Spire Semiconductor will receive more than $3.7 million under an 18-month contract with NREL.
June 29, 2009
Energy Storage R&D Showcased at Advanced Battery Conference
Results of cutting-edge battery research projects conducted by NREL's Energy Storage Team were presented at the first-of-its-kind Advanced Automotive Battery & EC Capacitor Conference held in June in Long Beach, California. The conference highlighted some of the latest advances in vehicle battery and ultracapacitor R&D and indicated where the technology is heading. NREL's research, sponsored by DOE and industry, looks at the critical issues surrounding the development of batteries for the hybrid electric and all-electric vehicles of the future, including battery lifetime, performance, safety, and cost, and explores ways to develop the safest, most efficient and most reliable batteries possible.
May 1, 2009
Working to Overcome Barriers to Meeting 20% U.S. Wind Vision
According to Kansas Governor Mark Parkinson — the challenges to — and the drivers of — a robust wind future for the country may actually be different on a state-by-state basis. But there is one thing that's common across the nation — transmission.
April 27, 2009
NREL and Ford Team Up to Develop 'Cool' Cars
NREL is partnering with Ford to develop highly efficient climate control systems for automobiles.
April 13, 2009
World's Second-Largest Solar Thermal Power Plant to Be Built in Florida
By mid 2010, Florida Power and Light (FPL) will construct the Martin Next Generation Solar Energy Center, a 75-megawatt plant that will sit on 500 acres near Indiantown, Florida, adjacent to FPL’s existing combined-cycle power plant. It will be the world's second largest concentrating solar power plant.
April 13, 2009
NREL’s JEDI Model Demonstrates Benefits for Nevada’s Energy Development
Vote Solar released “The Sun Rises on Nevada,” its in-depth analysis of employment, economic, tax, and environmental benefits, which demonstrated the potential gains for Nevada to develop solar energy. Vote Solar used the Job and Economic Development Impact (JEDI) model developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) for concentrating solar power plants.
March 31, 2009
NREL Partnering with GreenVolts to Commercialize IMM Solar Cell
Through a cooperative research and development agreement, NREL will provide assistance with the optimization of the solar cell's design and transfer of the technology into the marketplace.
March 12, 2009
NREL Successfully Transfers VSHOT Technology to Solar Industry
NREL provides the most efficient optical characterization testing method--the Video Scanning Hartmann Optical Test--for solar concentrators.
March 10, 2009
Once Again, Study Confirms Integrating Large Amounts of Wind Works
A new study by a Dutch researcher concludes that Dutch power stations can integrate large amounts of wind power with little more than up-to-date, improved wind forecasts.
March 9, 2009
NREL Partnerships Boost Research, Improve Technology
A recent technology partnership agreement with DuPont sought solutions to make ethanol from corn stalks.
March 2, 2009
FERC Webcast Archive on Integrating Renewable Resources into the Wholesale Electric Grid
Listen to the Webcast that took place March 2, 2009.
February 28, 2009
Green Power Superhighways: Building a Path to America's Clean Energy Future
This paper highlights the barriers that hinder investment in transmission infrastructure and identifies potential policy solutions to overcome those barriers.
February 17, 2009
Chuck Kutscher Receives Excellence Award in Renewable Energy from Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter
Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter recently honored NREL's Chuck Kutscher with the Governor's Excellence in Renewable Energy Award. Kutscher has dedicated 30 years to NREL, is a tireless advocate of renewable energy as a climate change solution, and is a writer, a teacher and a leader in the solar industry.
February 11, 2009
Study: Billions of Dollars Needed to Deliver Wind Power to Eastern Interconnection
Over $80 billion in new transmission infrastructure to obtain 20% of the region's electricity from wind generation.
February 5, 2009
Bigger and Better: Lab Aims to Improve Giant Wind Turbines
NREL's National Wind Technology Center is preparing to install the two largest turbines ever tested at the laboratory.
February 3, 2009
U.S. Wind Industry Takes Global Lead
The U.S. wind energy industry broke another global record in 2008 by installing 8,358 megawatts (MW) of new capacity, bringing our nation’s total wind energy capacity to 25,170 MW. The United States now claims the largest wind energy capacity in the world, taking the lead from Germany.
January 5, 2009
Geothermal Developers Remain Optimistic
While the global financial crisis continues to rattle financial markets and companies worldwide, and shrinks capital available for renewable energy projects of all types, the outlook for geothermal development remains positive.
