NREL Conduit Blog

The NREL Conduit Blog discusses research relevant to state, local, and Tribal governments. Contributing authors provide posts related to events, policy analysis, and decision support outcomes to inform the market in a credible and timely fashion.

Kauai Partners With NREL to Explore Sustainable Transportation Options

March 5, 2024 by Sarah Meehan

At any given time, Kauai typically has about 20,000 to 30,000 visitors—about one for every three residents—on the island.

Makah Tribe Partners with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to Pursue Energy Sovereignty

March 5, 2024 by Sarah Meehan

Situated at the northwestern tip of Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, the Makah Tribe frequently experiences power outages that last from multiple hours to several days.

Aquinnah and Chilmark Work With Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Toward Resilient Energy Systems on Martha's Vineyard

March 5, 2024 by Brooke Van Zandt

Aquinnah and Chilmark are two towns on the island of Martha’s Vineyard off the coast of Massachusetts.

Guam Utility Works With Sandia National Laboratories to Achieve 50% Renewable Energy by 2040

March 5, 2024 by Brooke Van Zandt

Like many utilities, Guam Power Authority's (GPA’s) challenge is to balance affordability, reliability, resilience, modernization, and security in a transitioning energy landscape.

NREL Helps Cohoes Community With Floating Solar System and Historic Building Retrofits

Feb. 3, 2023

Cohoes is a small working-class community in upstate New York operating with a small staff and limited resources, but their lack of energy-related expertise did not prevent them from pursuing cleaner and more cost-effective energy solutions through the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Clean Energy to Communities (C2C) program.

NREL Supports Alaska Utility Amid Coal Plant Retirement Through Communities to Clean Energy Program

Jan. 17, 2023

In early December 2022, a snowstorm hit Fairbanks, Alaska, blanketing the city of around 32,000 people in six inches of snow and dumping even more on the surrounding hillsides.

SLOPE Illuminates Milwaukee's Options for Achieving Energy and Equity Goals

Oct. 7, 2021

Milwaukee turned to NREL's State and Local Planning for Energy (SLOPE) Platform to better understand its energy use and clean energy potential.

NREL Draws on Experience to Expand Equitable Energy Access to State, Local, and Tribal Communities

March 29, 2021

Clean energy is clearly the future, but currently is not accessible to everyone. NREL is committed to continue efforts to expand energy access deeper into communities and address energy inequities.

Community Energy Storage: A New Revenue Stream for Utilities and Communities?

Sept. 24, 2018 by Kyle Flanegin

Although "it depends" is often the correct answer when asking whether energy storage makes sense in a particular context, utilities are exploring opportunities to incorporate community energy storage (CES) systems into the local grid. Utility-owned CES systems are a collection of two or more battery storage units connected to the low-level transformers that serve houses or small businesses.

Solar Energy Improving Resiliency: A Look at California During a Historical Drought

Aug. 19, 2015 by Alexandra Aznar

In February, the Solar STAT blog featured a post on 2012’s Hurricane Sandy and  how solar PV can support disaster resiliency . Extreme weather events are not limited to hurricanes, of course. Others, like California’s ongoing drought, pose additional challenges for electricity generators but also demonstrate an emerging role for solar energy.


Share