December 2025
Data-Driven Strategies Fortify the Distribution Grid Against Extreme Events
In this installment of the Tell Me Something Grid series, Reiko Matsuda-Dunn shares how her team uses high-resolution data to understand and address the power grid's vulnerabilities during extreme events.
Could American 'Spirited Self-Determination' Reshape Energy?
NLR and Schneider Electric have been partnering to tackle energy questions for about a decade. But in the last three years, the partnership has become closer and more integrated—a boon for breakthroughs.
38 Coastal, Remote, and Island Communities To Pursue Energy Reliability via Energy Technology Innovation Partnership Project
In the program’s biggest cohort yet, 38 coastal, remote, and island communities will receive support from the NLR-led Energy Technology Innovation Partnership Project (ETIPP) to pursue their goals for reliable, affordable energy systems.
28 Local Leaders To Join Peer-Learning Cohorts on Two New Energy Topics
Energy to Communities (E2C) launches six-month peer-learning cohorts on successful energy project implementation and planning for major energy disruptions in the Southeast.
NLR Invites Energy Leaders To Apply for 2026 Executive Energy Leadership Program
NLR, a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory formerly known as NREL, is seeking applicants for its 2026 Executive Energy Leadership Program—also called Energy Execs.
She Wanted To Write Fantasy. Now, She Is Rewriting Recycling
In the latest Manufacturing Masterminds Q&A, Taylor Uekert shares what she really wanted to be when she grew up, why some people think recycling is broken (but she does not), and why she could not say no when NLR offered her a position.
New Report Illuminates Geothermal Cooling Potential in Hawaii
University of Hawaii at Manoa and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory teamed up to analyze feasibility of geothermal cooling technologies.
NLR Analysis Identifies Reservoir Thermal Energy Storage as a Solution for Data Center Cooling Needs
A techno-economic analysis performed by researchers at NLR has demonstrated a system to cool data centers more efficiently and inexpensively via reservoir thermal energy storage.
Turning Plastic Waste Into Opportunity: Ongoing Projects Demonstrate Broad Applications of Chemical Oxidation Recycling Platform
The chemical oxidation recycling platform, originally developed through the U.S. Department of Energy’s BOTTLE Consortium, offers a practical, cost-effective, and scalable solution for processing contaminated, mixed, and multilayer plastic waste.
News Release: Energy Department Renames NREL 'National Laboratory of the Rockies'
The U.S. Department of Energy today renamed the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) the National Laboratory of the Rockies.
Scientists Describe Exciton Formation in Thin Magnetic Crystals—With Potential for Quantum Computing or Other Advanced Technologies
A research team studied excitons in CrSBr films using NREL’s Questaal electronic structure package, combining experimentation with high-fidelity theory to better understand experimental observations.
November 2025
Can Your Wave Energy Technology Survive the Ocean?
With SEA-Stack, wave energy companies will be able to quickly vet new technology designs and potentially save significant time and money.
Three Startups Join New IN2 Cohort Advancing Reliability in Built Environment
This year’s startups are focused on energy efficiency and reliability in buildings.
NREL’s INFORMES Tool Will Accelerate the Future of Intermodal Freight
To help transition the United States to the freight system of tomorrow, NREL researchers will soon unveil the first-ever modeling tool for national intermodal freight movement, infrastructure planning, and logistics planning: INFORMES.
A Phyto Finish: Could Seaweed Be Mined for Critical Minerals?
Some seaweeds accumulate critical minerals. NREL scientists are studying which ones do it best.
9 From NREL Named to Highly Cited Researchers List
Nine scientists from NREL, a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory, have been recognized as being among the most highly cited researchers on the planet.
September 2025
HERO’s Mission: Engineering ‘Video Games’ Meet Wave Tank
NREL’s hydraulic and electric reverse osmosis wave energy converter (HERO WEC) is getting an upgrade.
Safer Batteries, Reliable Power: Guiding Research for Next-Generation Energy Storage
A recent Nature perspective authored by NREL researchers takes a closer look at the current landscape of battery safety research, emphasizing new risks and opportunities of up-and-coming energy storage technologies.
ALTRIOS Software Helps Launch Next-Generation Railcars in Heart of Georgia
After analyzing the operations of Parallel Systems’ self-propelled railcars and freight train terminals using the ALTRIOS and ALTRIOS-LIFTS tools, NREL researchers determined the next-generation vehicles could reduce delivery times by 70% and help smaller freight railroads compete with the trucking industry in short-haul deliveries.
Researcher Spotlight: Love of Biology Fuels Kristi Moriarty’s Career at NREL
Kristi Moriarty, a senior vehicle and infrastructure analysis researcher at NREL, is an expert in analyzing the infrastructure, supply chain logistics, materials, regulations, and other elements that facilitate getting advanced fuels from production to end use.
Last Updated May 28, 2025