News Releases

NREL's Public Relations Office works with media outlets on news stories about the laboratory and renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies. You may subscribe to receive new NREL releases by email or via RSS feed.

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2013 News Releases

May 23, 2013

NREL Announces Participants in National Executive Education Program

The Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has selected 20 leaders to participate in its 2013 Executive Energy Leadership program (Energy Execs), which is focused on delivering clean energy solutions.

May 18, 2013

Solar and Lithium Ion Car Race Winners Announced

Ninety-seven teams from 28 Colorado schools participated in today’s car competitions hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

May 13, 2013

Helping Cleantech Start-ups Understand Social Media

The Colorado Center for Renewable Energy Economic Development (CREED) at the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in collaboration with the Colorado Cleantech Industry Association (CCIA) invites cleantech entrepreneurs to attend the next event in its Entrepreneur Series.

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 24, 2013

NREL Quantifies Significant Value in Concentrating Solar Power

Researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have calibrated the significant value that concentrating solar power (CSP) plants can add to an electric grid.

April 17, 2013

Denver Post Names NREL as a Top Work Place

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has been recognized by the Denver Post as a “2013 Top Work Place.” NREL is one of only 15 large Denver-area employers selected this year.

April 15, 2013

NREL Survey Shows Dramatic Improvement in B100 Biodiesel Quality

The latest national survey of 100% biodiesel (B100) "blend stock" samples by the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) found that 95% of the samples from 2011-12 met ASTM International fuel quality specifications. The ASTM standards serve as guidelines for industry and are designed to ensure quality at the pump for consumers – along with reliable operation of the nation’s vehicles powered by biodiesel blends.

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 11, 2013

DOE and NREL Announce Inaugural Collegiate Wind Competition Teams

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and its National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) are pleased to announce the teams selected to take part in the inaugural DOE Collegiate Wind Competition.

April 9, 2013

NREL Launches Initiative to Build Solar Performance Database

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has launched an initiative to build an open-source database of real-world performance from solar facilities across the country. As part of DOE’s SunShot Initiative, the Open Solar Performance and Reliability Clearinghouse (O-SPaRC) will give the private market tools to develop investment vehicles to tap low-cost public capital.

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 19, 2013

NREL Assembles Industry Working Group to Advance Solar Securitization

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE)’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) recently convened the Solar Access to Public Capital (SAPC) working group with a mission to enable securitization of solar PV assets and associated cash flows in the marketplace.

March 15, 2013

Transportation Energy Futures Study Reveals Potential for Deep Cuts to Petroleum Use and Carbon Emissions

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) today announced the release of the Transportation Energy Futures (TEF) study, an assessment of avenues to reach deep cuts in petroleum use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the transportation sector.

March 6, 2013

Deadline for Energy Execs Applications Extended to March 20

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE)’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has extended the application window for the 2013 Executive Energy Leadership Academy to March 20. “Energy Execs” is a leadership program focused on educating business, community, and government leaders about achieving clean energy solutions using energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies.

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 14, 2013

NREL Helps Communities Assess Their Readiness for Electric Vehicles

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has launched a new tool to help local and regional leaders assess the readiness of their communities for the arrival of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs).

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

NREL Seeks Leaders for National Executive Energy Academy

Applications are currently being accepted for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL) 2013 Executive Energy Leadership Academy. NREL's Executive Energy Leadership Academy, also known as Energy Execs, is a leadership program for non-technical decision-makers throughout the country to learn about renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies, analytical tools and financing. Leaders in government, communities, non-profits and the private sector are eligible.

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 26, 2013

Lakewood High School Wins Colorado Science Bowl

Students from Lakewood High School Team 1 won the Colorado High School Science Bowl today. They will go on to the 23rd National Science Bowl in Washington D.C., Apr. 25-29, where they will compete for the national title against more than 400 students from 70 high schools.

January 16, 2013

NREL Teams Up on Three ARPA-E Projects to Optimize Electric Vehicle Battery Management and Controls

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has joined DOE and research partners in launching the Advanced Management and Protection of Energy Storage Devices (AMPED) program with a kick-off meeting in San Francisco. Over the next three years, NREL engineers will work with teams led by Utah State University, Washington University, and Eaton Corporation to optimize utilization, life, and cost of lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries for electric-drive vehicles (EDVs) through improved battery management and controls. The three projects are funded under the AMPED program with more than $7.4 million from DOE's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E).

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).

January 10, 2013

NREL and Stanford Team up on Peel-and-Stick Solar Cells

It may be possible soon to charge cell phones, change the tint on windows, or power small toys with peel-and-stick versions of solar cells, thanks to a partnership between Stanford University and the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

January 9, 2013

NREL Launches Interactive Tool for Developing a Cleaner Energy Future

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has created an energy analysis tool to help individuals and educators experiment with future energy use scenarios. The interactive Buildings, Industry, Transportation, Electricity, and Transportation Scenarios (BITES) allows users to explore how changes in energy demand and supply can impact carbon dioxide emissions and the current U.S. energy trajectory.

January 3, 2013

NREL to Help Convert Methane to Liquid Diesel

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) will help develop microbes that convert methane found in natural gas into liquid diesel fuel, a novel approach that if successful could reduce greenhouse gas emissions and lower dependence on foreign oil.