Grid Modernization News

Oct 26, 2020, 18:00 by User Not Found

The NREL-composed team developed a solid state transformer that allows the independent regulation of solar, battery, load, and grid sources. The team is further working to optimize the technology's performance and cost efficiency.

Oct 25, 2020, 18:00 by User Not Found

NREL named Jennifer Kurtz director of the newly formed Energy Conversion and Storage Systems Center. The new cross-cutting center is dedicated to systems engineering for energy conversion and storage technologies such as batteries, hydrogen, geothermal, thermal, and water power.

Oct 19, 2020, 18:00 by User Not Found

As a University of Texas graduate student in 2011, Ben Sigrin tried to understand how people make decisions about purchasing or leasing rooftop solar panels. He quickly found that it is not black or white—and that there is no average consumer.

Oct 19, 2020, 18:00 by User Not Found

The consortium will focus on two critical problems that are both essential to tackle the plastics pollution problem. The first challenge is how to upcycle today's waste plastics in a way that incentivizes their reclamation. The second undertakes the challenge of wholly redesigning tomorrow's plastics to be recyclable-by-design.

Oct 18, 2020, 18:00 by User Not Found

NREL's Distributed Generation Market Demand (dGen) model is publicly available for the first time. Public users can access model methodology and instructions, run the code, and receive technical support from the dGen team.

Oct 18, 2020, 18:00 by User Not Found

NREL announces concurrent launch of DEVELOP Competition and 90-day DESIGN Contest.

Oct 18, 2020, 18:00 by User Not Found

Popular wisdom holds that tall, fast-growing trees are best for biomass, but new research by two DOE national laboratories reveals the size of trees is only part of the equation. Of equal economic importance is the amount of sugars that can be produced from the ligno-cellulosic biomass and converted into fuels.

Oct 18, 2020, 18:00 by User Not Found

NREL researchers are collaborating with academic, conservation, regulatory, and industry partners to understand the potential effects of offshore wind installations on the environment while maintaining optimal energy production.

Oct 15, 2020, 18:00 by User Not Found

Scientists at NREL report a breakthrough in developing a next-generation thermochromic window that not only reduces the need for air conditioning but simultaneously generates electricity.

Oct 14, 2020, 18:00 by User Not Found

NREL researches, develops, and demonstrates technologies to advance the use of geothermal energy as a clean, renewable, domestic power source for the United States. This research will be showcased during the Geothermal Resources Council 2020 Annual Meeting and Expo, October 18–23, 2020.

Oct 14, 2020, 18:00 by User Not Found

Get to know tomorrow’s blue economy trailblazers: the recently announced 2021 Marine Energy Collegiate Competition teams.

Oct 14, 2020, 18:00 by User Not Found

As a partner in a new U.S. Department of Energy-sponsored initiative, NREL aims to bridge energy resiliency gaps by providing resources and access to on-the-ground support for remote and islanded communities seeking to transform their energy systems and lower their vulnerability.

Oct 11, 2020, 18:00 by User Not Found

On Sept. 23-24, 2020, NREL joined forces with the Charging Interface Initiative (CharIN) to host a high-power electric vehicle charging connector test event.

Oct 11, 2020, 18:00 by User Not Found

NREL and Princeton University recently formalized the first joint appointment under a new master agreement between the two institutions, under which NREL's experts in computational science and combustion simulation will work closely with Dr. Michael Mueller from Princeton.

Oct 11, 2020, 18:00 by Mary Horsey

Concentrating solar power (CSP) plants generate clean energy to power our communities. Yet, one consistent challenge of CSP plants is hydrogen buildup, which can be costly to mitigate and reduces plant efficiency. NREL researcher Greg Glatzmaier has spent much of his career finding a solution.

Oct 7, 2020, 18:00 by User Not Found

October 8—10/08—is National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Day, a date chosen to represent the atomic weight of hydrogen (1.008). The U.S. Senate officially designated Oct. 8, 2020, as National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Day with the passage of Senate Resolution 720, and Colorado's governor issued a proclamation to proclaim the date as Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Day in Colorado.

Oct 7, 2020, 18:00 by User Not Found

H2@Scale Initiative finds achievable 2X to 4X U.S. hydrogen market growth.

Oct 7, 2020, 18:00 by User Not Found

Global installed offshore wind capacity reached 27,064 MW in 2019—a 19% increase from the previous year. This and other trends can be found in the "2019 Offshore Wind Technology Data Update," released by NREL on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy's Wind Energy Technologies Office.

Oct 7, 2020, 18:00 by User Not Found

The H2NEW consortium will conduct R&D to enable large-scale manufacturing of affordable electrolyzers that use electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen.

Oct 5, 2020, 18:00 by User Not Found

The U.S. Department of Energy Solar District Cup Collegiate Design Competition announces the list of schools participating in the Class of 2021 competition.