News
The following news stories highlight solar research, technologies, and resources. Subscribe to the RSS feed 
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May 13, 2013
Saudi Arabia Looks to NREL for Solar Monitoring Expertise 
Middle East kingdom poised to devote billions of dollars to embracing renewable energy.
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 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 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.
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.
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.
February 5, 2013
Solar Policy and Program Technical Assistance in 2013
This year, the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Program will offer four rounds of technical assistance opportunities through NREL for cities and states targeting policy and programmatic improvements that will help open and develop markets for distributed generation photovoltaics, specifically rooftop solar.
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 11, 2013
Solar Decathlon Heads to California for 2013 Event
For the first time, the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon will be held outside of Washington, D.C. This fall, 20 collegiate teams will head to the Orange Country Great Park in Irvine, Calif., to compete in this award-winning showcase of energy-efficient and solar-powered houses.
January 11, 2013
Device Tosses Out Unusable PV Wafers
System uses focused light to find weak silicon wafers before money is spent making them into solar cells.
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.
