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 can subscribe to receive new NREL releases by email or via our RSS feed.

2008 News Releases

May 15, 2008

NREL Industry Partners Move Cellulosic Ethanol Technology Forward

Collaborative scientific research between the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and DuPont will be put to use to develop and commercialize technology to produce cellulosic ethanol from non-food sources.

May 10, 2008

Students Recognized for Creativity and Skill in Energy Education Event

Eighty-eight teams from 29 Colorado schools participated in today’s Junior Solar Sprint and Hydrogen Fuel Cell car competitions hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

May 1, 2008

NREL Releases Updated Typical Meteorological Year Data Set

The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) today released an updated typical meteorological year (TMY) data set derived from the 1991-2005 National Solar Radiation Data Base update. The TMY3 data and user’s manual are available at http://rredc.nrel.gov/solar/old_data/nsrdb/1991-2005/tmy3.

April 22, 2008

NREL Highlights Leading Utility Green Power Programs

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) released its annual ranking of leading utility green power programs.

April 21, 2008

Center to Research New Ways to Convert Sunshine to Power and Fuels

The newest research center of the Colorado Renewable Energy Collaboratory aims to find ways to directly convert the sun's energy to low-cost electricity and fuels. The Center for Revolutionary Solar Photoconversion (CRSP), announced today by Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter, U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar and the Collaboratory at the Capitol, will be dedicated to basic and applied research at the Collaboratory's four member institutions.

April 16, 2008

NREL Picks 19 Community Leaders for Leadership Program

NREL has selected 19 Colorado community leaders to participate in its 2008 Executive Energy Leadership program, the state’s only leadership program focused on educating business and government leaders about clean energy solutions that can boost the local economy.

April 14, 2008

DOE Research Facility Receives Lab of the Year Award

One of the nation’s most energy efficient and environmentally friendly buildings recently was recognized as one of the best laboratory facilities built in the U.S. in 2007. In the 42nd Laboratory of the Year competition, the Science and Technology Facility at NREL was one of only two laboratories recognized as trendsetters in laboratory design.

April 10, 2008

Senior Research Fellow Wins Major International Science Award

Senior Research Fellow Arthur J. Nozik has won the 2008 Eni Award, a prestigious international honor that has several Nobel Prize winners among its recipients.

April 1, 2008

NREL Enters Wind Energy Research Partnership in Hawaii

NREL has signed a memorandum of understanding with UPC Wind to establish a Remote Research Affiliate Partner Site at UPC Wind’s Kaheawa Wind Farm on Maui.

March 31, 2008

NREL, ConocoPhillips, Iowa State to Cooperate on Biofuels Research

The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has reached a Memorandum of Understanding with ConocoPhillips and Iowa State University to identify promising cellulosic biomass conversion technologies over the near, mid- and long-term. The collaboration will bring three independently established programs together to help identify the most efficient and cost-effective methods for making liquid transportation fuels from plants.

March 24, 2008

Record Makes Thin-Film Solar Cell Competitive with Silicon Efficiency

Researchers have moved closer to creating a thin-film solar cell that can compete with the efficiency of the more common silicon-based solar cell. The copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) thin-film solar cell recently reached 19.9 percent efficiency, setting a new world record for this type of cell.