Energy Systems Integration Facility News

Explore our archive of energy systems integration news stories.

Dec. 21, 2018

Ian Baring-Gould is Engaging in the Power of Communities

Ian Baring-Gould has traveled the globe for NREL, helping communities. He is amazed at the progress of renewables, particularly wind, over the past few decades.

Dec. 20, 2018

Inspiring the Next Generation of NREL Researchers

Senior NREL researcher Alicen Kandt frequently volunteers to speak with college students and young girls about careers in engineering and renewable energy.

Dec. 20, 2018

Expert from NREL Testifies Before Canada House of Commons

ASHRAE President and NREL senior research advisor Sheila Hayter testified before the Canada House of Commons Standing Committee on Natural Resources in November.

Dec. 20, 2018

Q&A with Mike Callahan: Modernizing Energy Systems

Mike Callahan is the group manager for the Applied Engineering team, a new group at NREL that supports projects in the areas of resiliency, microgrids, building systems, and new technology testing and evaluation.

Dec. 14, 2018

Costs Continue to Decline for Residential and Commercial Photovoltaics in 2018

Two new reports from NREL track the evolving costs of PV and establish a new cost benchmark for PV-plus-storage.

Dec. 14, 2018

NREL Garners Top Sustainability Honor at Data Center Dynamics Awards

International award cements NREL’s status as a world leader in energy-efficient and sustainable data centers.

Nov. 30, 2018

NREL Leadership in Grid-Mod Projects Highlights National Progress

The challenge to modernize our grid is not a maintenance task or an everyday repair. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Grid Modernization Laboratory Consortium (GMLC) is responding to a grid transformation unlike anything the nation has experienced.

Nov. 30, 2018

Q&A with Greg Martin: Real-Time Operations of the ESIF

Electrical Engineer Greg Martin is the Research Operations Engineering group manager for ESI. Martin works on strategic visioning and planning for ESIF, and with his background expertise on power electronics and advanced inverters and power systems, he's bringing exciting new insights for future capabilities. Read our conversation with Martin to learn about the new capabilities he's working on at ESIF.

Nov. 29, 2018

NREL and Mines Launch Transformational Grad Program

Powering our future society will require energy systems and infrastructure that are more expansive, secure, and resilient than today's. It will also require thought leaders and innovators who can capably and creatively guide this vital energy sector transition. To address these needs, NREL and Colorado School of Mines are piloting a novel Advanced Energy Systems (AES) graduate program in fall 2019. Learn more.

Nov. 19, 2018

News Release: R&D Magazine Honors Duo of NREL Innovations

Given annually by R&D Magazine, the awards honor the 100 most innovative technologies of the past year and were chosen by an independent panel of judges.

Nov. 5, 2018

REopt Lite Adds New Energy Optimization Capabilities with Wind, Custom Rate Tariff, Critical Load Builder, and User Dashboard Features

The REopt Lite web tool's new wind optimization module lets building owners and energy managers evaluate the economic viability of grid-connected wind at a site, in addition to solar photovoltaics and battery storage.

Oct. 31, 2018

Q&A with Bryan Palmintier: Pulling Together the Pieces with Systems Thinking

Bryan Palmintier's broad scientific career prior and his leadership in the outdoors have made him a cornerstone of many grid projects at NREL. Our Q&A with Palmintier reviews his current work, and how he became such a versatile scientist in energy systems integration.

Oct. 31, 2018

NREL Veteran Supports Air Force Resilience Efforts

Tony Jimenez, a recently-retired Army Reservist of 25 years who spent nine months working as an NREL employee, has played a key role in supporting the military's goal of enhancing installation resilience.

Oct. 25, 2018

Arizona Utility and NREL Launch One of the Largest-to-Date Home Energy Storage Studies

NREL and Arizona utility Salt River Project are studying the benefits and impacts of battery energy systems to both customers and utilities.

Oct. 22, 2018

NREL, SDG&E Collaboration Expands Resiliency in Borrego Springs, Yields Nationally Scalable Results

NREL is working with SDG&E to better understand is how a microgrid controller with advanced technology would perform, specifically with the Borrego Springs microgrid.

Sept. 28, 2018

Q&A with Barry Mather: Bridging the Gap from Power Electronic Devices to Systems

As the group manager for Integrated Devices and Systems (IDS) within NREL's Power Systems Engineering Center and chair of the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Power Electronics Society Denver chapter, Barry Mather considers himself an honest broker--balancing the needs for a reliable grid while also increasing the amount of distributed energy resources (DER) integrated into the grid. Mather sat down with us to answer some questions about his career at the lab and research in his group. The following has been edited for length.

Sept. 28, 2018

Views of the ESIF: Five Years Back, Five Years Forward

In celebration of five years since the ESIF's dedication, the facility's leadership reflect on its use now, and looking ahead.

Sept. 28, 2018

Crosscutting Grid Research Facilities Provide Industry Launch Pad for Utility-Scale Evaluation

New grid integration technologies at the National Wind Technology Center (NWTC) have introduced a vast range in grid research capabilities--from multimegawatt-scale wind and solar technologies to advanced energy storage devices, transformers, and protection equipment.

Sept. 6, 2018

NREL Interns Energize the Laboratory

NREL Summer Interns unbox their potential to explore their passions in renewable energy.

Aug. 31, 2018

Q&A with Kristen Ardani: From Research to Rooftops

As the Program Lead for Solar Data, Analysis, and Tools in the Integrated Applications Center, Kristen Ardani is making widespread solar deployment a reality.

Aug. 31, 2018

Competition in Colombia Sparks Renewable Energy Expansion

Colombia will host its first renewable energy auction in 2019, hoping to boost its renewable portfolio and buffer its hydro-dominated energy sector against debilitating drought seasons. Learn how NREL expertise is helping the Colombian government transform its energy sector.

Aug. 23, 2018

Data Center Water-Savings Win Wins

NREL and partners honored with Federal Energy and Water Management Award for resourceful data center cooling.

Aug. 15, 2018

NREL Acquires Powerful New High-Performance Computing System

Eagle will be 3.5 times more powerful than current system dedicated to energy research

Aug. 10, 2018

Software Saves Energy, Costs, and More

NREL's foresee is a home energy management system that relies on user preferences to automate connected appliances and electronics in unprecedented ways.

July 26, 2018

Envisioning Net-Zero Emission Energy Systems

NREL researchers contribute to a major journal article describing pathways to net-zero emissions for particularly difficult-to-decarbonize economic sectors.

July 25, 2018

Q&A with Fatima Al Suwaidi: Visiting UAE Engineer Details How NREL and Masdar are Helping Shape Her Career Goals

Fatima is contributing to analysis work in the Integrated Applications Center at NREL. Her research spans floating photovoltaics, sustainable transportation, and the energy-water-food nexus, with a specific focus on economic viability analysis. This is a discussion of Fatima's work at both Masdar and NREL.

July 25, 2018

PRECISE: Expanding Distributed Energy Systems from the West to the East

Pre-configuration, quasi-static time series, and autonomous operation are all features contributing to the expansion of distributed energy systems, thanks to advanced inverters and an NREL- and Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD)-developed platform called PRECISE.

July 2, 2018

News Release: Leading the Charge to Build a New Energy Future, NREL's Sheila Hayter Named President of ASHRAE

Sheila Hayter, group manager with the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), was installed last week as president of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) during the industry group's annual conference in Houston, Texas.

June 18, 2018

REopt Lite's Application Programming Interface Boosts Solar+Storage Analysis Flexibility

NREL released an API for REopt(TM) Lite, enabling streamlined integration with other tools inside and outside NREL and allowing building owners and researchers to evaluate the economics of grid-connected solar PV and battery storage at multiple commercial sites. The API opens opportunities for research collaboration and broader market impact, driving solar and storage deployment.

May 31, 2018

NREL Connects with the Community--Next Door and Across the Country

Although NREL's recent community open house is a highly visible outreach effort, it is only one of many connecting the laboratory with communities in Colorado and across the country.

May 31, 2018

Planning a City, Virtually

NREL has developed an immersive visualization environment to help plan for Denver's new smart community, Peña Station NEXT.

May 30, 2018

When the Gears Stop Turning

NREL teams with PG&E to stabilize grid frequency with synthetic inertia.

May 29, 2018

News Release: NREL Researchers Measure Impact of Eclipse on Electrical Grid

A recent analysis from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) found that, during last summer's total eclipse, solar energy output in the West dropped by about 5.9 gigawatts (GW).

May 10, 2018

News Release: NREL Names Four Scientists Senior Research Fellows

Mowafak Al-Jassim, Andy Walker, Robert McCormick, and Gregg Beckham were chosen for their significant contributions to NREL and the larger scientific community.

May 8, 2018

News Release: NREL Releases Major Update to Wind Energy Dataset

A massive amount of wind data was recently made accessible online, greatly expanding the amount of information available on wind flow across the continental United States.

May 2, 2018

News Release: NREL Validates Go Electric's Technology As Part of Wells Fargo IN2 Program

The Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has completed technology validation testing for Go Electric Inc. as part of the NREL-administered Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2) program.

April 30, 2018

Q&A with Andy Walker: The Ins and Outs of Renewable Energy Optimization

NREL researcher Andy Walker sits down to discuss a new role as research fellow, and his work in developing renewable energy optimization techniques.

April 20, 2018

NREL and Hawaiian Electric Navigate Uncharted Waters of Energy Transformation (Part 2)

NREL and the Hawaiian Electric Companies are evaluating energy trends and simulating future grid scenarios to ensure stability--and their findings could help other islands, and even mainland states, apply similar solutions.

April 20, 2018

NREL and Hawaiian Electric Navigate Uncharted Waters of Energy Transformation (Part 1)

NREL helped the Hawaiian Electric Companies respond to new stability challenges associated with the rapid addition of solar power and other renewables to Hawaii's six isolated island grids.

April 10, 2018

News Release: New Solar PV Tool Accurately Calculates Degradation Rates, Saving Money and Guiding Business Decisions

A new software package developed by the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and industry partners SunPower and kWh Analytics is making the measurement of PV system expected lifetime performance more reliable, consistent, and accurate.

April 9, 2018

NREL Leadership Contributes to Revision of Key Energy Integration Standard, IEEE 1547

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has published the full revision of IEEE 1547, which establishes uniform requirements for interconnection of distributed energy resources (DERs), such as solar photovoltaics, with the electric power system. With support from the U.S. Department of Energy's Solar Energy Technologies Office, NREL researchers provided leadership and technical support in developing this full revision of the standard.

March 30, 2018

Q&A with Sheila Hayter: Laying the Foundation for an Interconnected Energy Future

Sheila Hayter is a group manager in the Integrated Applications Center (IAC), leading a team of experts who support international, federal, state, and local entities with the goal of significantly reducing nonrenewable energy consumption though optimized use of energy efficiency strategies and renewable energy technologies. Along with her NREL work, she is the ASHRAE president elect. We caught up with Hayter to discuss where her roles with ASHRAE and NREL intersect.

March 22, 2018

Newly Branded Energy Systems Integration Group Joins International Institute for Energy Systems Integration

The Utility-Variable Generation Integration Group (UVIG) is broadening its reach among the ESI community, joining with the International Institute for Energy Systems Integration (iiESI), and changing its name to the Energy Systems Integration Group (ESIG).

Feb. 28, 2018

NREL Launches New Website for High-Performance Computing System Users

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) Computational Science Center has launched a revamped website for users of the lab’s high-performance computing (HPC) systems at the Energy Systems Integration Facility (ESIF).

Feb. 28, 2018

High Performance Computing and Cutting-Edge Analysis Can Open New Scientific Realms

NREL recently created the Scientific Computing and Energy Analysis (SCEA) directorate, pairing our expertise in high performance computing with our deep knowledge of energy analysis.

Feb. 28, 2018

Q&A with Adam Warren

Adam Warren, director of the Integrated Applications Center (IAC), discusses IAC's new role in ESI research, and the center's focus for 2018.

Feb. 28, 2018

Unique Procurement Process Expands Microgrid Research Capabilities at the ESIF

Following a rigorous, 21-week dual-stage procurement program, NREL has purchased a Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL) microgrid controller for installation at the ESIF, enabling new research capabilities to more effectively evaluate microgrid systems and their components.

Feb. 21, 2018

IN2 Program Validates Data Center Cooling Solution

LiquidCool Solutions, a participant in the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator program, had their server-cooling technology validated at the ESIF, where it was deployed along-side NREL's supercomputer, Peregrine.

Feb. 6, 2018

News Release: NREL Taps Young to Oversee Geothermal Energy Program

In her new role, Young will work closely with NREL management to establish the lab's geothermal energy portfolio, including research and development geared toward advancing the use of geothermal energy as a renewable power source.

Jan. 26, 2018

NREL, Eaton Partner on Innovative Energy Solutions

On January 15, Eaton, a power management company dedicated to improving the quality of life and the environment through the use of power management technologies and services, entered into a cooperative agreement with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

Jan. 24, 2018

Collaboration and Compromise: The Big Picture of Energy Systems Integration

Dr. Mark O'Malley offers his perspective on ESI; where it's going and what it takes to get there.

Jan. 23, 2018

News Release: NREL Research Determines Integration of Plug-in Electric Vehicles Should Play a Big Role in Future Electric System Planning

An influx of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) charging without coordination could prove challenging to the nation’s electric grid, according to research conducted by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

Jan. 9, 2018

News Release: Multi-model Effort Highlights Progress, Future Needs in Renewable Energy Modeling

Four agencies, including the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), hosted two workshops that led to a new report where the teams identified areas of importance for modeling variable renewable energy, performed experiments to determine key assumptions, and compiled a set of recommendations for future research in this area.

Jan. 8, 2018

News Release: NREL Launches Electrification Futures Study Series

The U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is spearheading the Electrification Futures Study, a research collaboration to explore the impacts of widespread electrification in all U.S. economic sectors--commercial and residential buildings, transportation, and industry.

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