Grid Modernization News
Explore our archive of grid modernization news stories.
-
Materials Science Software Enables High-Fidelity Answers to Basic Principles Questions
To understand how things work, we must think small. Really small. Processes that affect how materials appear or behave happen at the atomic level. That is a key place for researchers to start, but such atomic-scale challenges are difficult because they require that researchers solve the underlying equations of quantum physics, which are computationally intensive and expensive.Full story -
Solar Prize Round 7 Semifinalists Bring Bold, Bright Ideas to Competition
A new crop of semifinalists has been selected to move on to the Set! Contest in the American-Made Solar Prize Round 7.Full story -
NREL Awards $1.8 Million in Second Round of Contracts To Support Development of Cheaper, More Efficient Cadmium Telluride Solar Cells
NREL has awarded $1.8 million to fund seven projects to support the Cadmium Telluride Accelerator Consortium.Full story -
NREL Releases the 2023 Standard Scenarios
The annual suite of electricity system scenarios shows there could be fewer emissions, more renewables, and clean energy tax credits continued through 2050.Full story -
Hydropower Is Global. Should Hydropower Research Be, Too?
Dany Tome, a graduate student at the University of South-Eastern Norway, spent five weeks at NREL as part of a larger partnership between Norway and the United States. As part of his internship, Tome researched hydropower, one of the world's biggest sources of renewable energy.Full story -
News Release: Green Wheels, Bright Skies: NREL Analysis Unveils the Connection Between Electric Vehicles and Photovoltaics
People who own electric vehicles are more likely to go a step further and add solar panels to their home, according to an analysis of a behavioral study by researchers at NREL.Full story -
NREL Researchers Produce First Macromolecular Model of Plant Secondary Cell Wall
A multidisciplinary approach has enabled researchers with NREL to quantitatively define the relative positioning and arrangement of the polymers in Populus wood and to create a computer model that details the findings.Full story -
NREL's Expert Contributions to Renowned Climate Change Assessment Strengthen Leaders' Ability To Make Informed Decisions
Three NREL researchers recently had the opportunity to contribute to the landmark Fifth National Climate Assessment, sharing NREL’s expertise and learning from other leaders at the table.Full story -
News Release: Heliostat Consortium Publishes Annual Report Highlighting Impactful Technical Projects, Partnerships With Industry
The HelioCon Annual Report: 2023 provides detailed information on progress the Heliostat Consortium team has made since its founding.Full story -
NREL's Brent Logan Named Emerging Leader Under 30 by The Institute of Internal Auditors
The senior Internal Audit and Audit Analytics professional was recently honored by The Institute of Internal Auditors as an Emerging Leader Under 30.Full story -
Postdoc Tarryn Miller Crafts 3-Minute Talk for First National Lab Research SLAM
NREL Director's Fellowship postdoc Tarryn Miller competed in the first National Lab Research SLAM competition in Washington, D.C.Full story -
Modeling Breakthrough Allows Researchers To Account for Occupant Comfort and Assess Smart Building Technologies
Homes across the country are incorporating new technologies, such as energy-efficient heat pumps, heat pump water heaters, electric vehicles, rooftop solar, and energy storage systems.Full story -
NREL Research Finds Rain Not Enough To Wash Pollen From Solar Panels
Scientists, headed by a team from NREL, found the proliferation of springtime pollen that coated the solar panels reduced performance of the technology at every site.Full story -
News Release: NREL Research Quantifies Losses From Cardboard, Paper Waste
Piles of cardboard and paper littering America's landfills represent $4 billion in lost economic value, according to a new analysis by researchers at NREL.Full story -
NREL Joins $40 Million Effort To Advance Data Center Cooling Efficiency
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) joined a $40 million program led by the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) to radically rethink how components within data centers are cooled.Full story -
How Origami, Acrylic Skins, and Flexible Flaps Are Advancing Wave Energy
The U.S. Department of Energy is investing in a new kind of flexible wave energy technology that could convert ocean waves into clean electricity and help power coastal communities, marine research, and even a future clean energy grid.Full story -
Douglas DeVoto Earns ASME Excellence in Mechanics Award
For Douglas DeVoto, who leads reliability and prognostics research for automotive power electronics within NREL's power electronics and electric machines group, failure is the most fascinating part of his job. Most recently, that curiosity led to him being awarded the Excellence in Mechanics Award by the Electronic and Photonic Packaging Division of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).Full story -
New Wave Energy Testing Platform Could Save Developers Time and Money
NREL built a new testing platform that blends virtual simulation and physical hardware to help wave energy technology developers quickly and inexpensively hone their designs.Full story -
Behind the Blades: Vahan Gevorgian's 3-Decade Clean Energy Odyssey
Twenty-nine years ago, Vahan Gevorgian was a post-doctoral researcher studying wind and hybrid energy systems at the State Engineering University of Armenia when a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity presented itself.Full story -
NREL and Amazon Aim To Create Guidebook for Emissions Impact Analysis
NREL and Amazon, the largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy worldwide since 2020, are working to modernize greenhouse gas emissions quantification using higher-resolution data and longer-term modeling.Full story
Share
Last Updated March 10, 2025