April 2017
Researchers at NREL Find Fewer Failures of PV Panels and Different Degradation Modes in Systems Installed after 2000
Overall failure rates for photovoltaic (PV) solar panels have fallen dramatically when compared to installations prior to 2000, according to a comprehensive review by researchers from the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).
NREL's 40 Years of Innovation Honored by ACORE
NREL presented with ACORE's Technology Advancement & Industry Impact Award.
NREL-Led Effort Results in Groundbreaking New ASTM High-Octane Fuel Standard
The release in March of a new ASTM International high-octane fuel standard with guidance from NREL’s research engineer Robert McCormick is expected to impact the development of gasoline products compatible with vehicles that feature high-performance fuel-efficient engines.
Investing in Future Innovation: NREL Researchers, Engineers Introduce Students to STEM Careers
Learn how NREL researchers and engineers teach students about science, technology, engineering, and math careers.
March 2017
More Than 200 Attend NREL/SNL/BNL Photovoltaic Reliability Workshops
NREL, Sandia National Laboratories, and Brookhaven National Laboratory partnered to host two coordinated workshops on PV Reliability, which ran from Feb. 28 to March 2.
News Release: New Report Shines Light on Installed Costs and Deployment Barriers for Residential Solar PV with Energy Storage
Learn about how NREL researchers are making detailed component and system-level cost breakdowns available for residential photovoltaic (PV) solar systems for the first time.
News Release: NREL Industry Growth Forum Connects Clean Energy Startups and Investors
NREL hosts the annual Industry Growth Forum April 13-14, 2017 in Denver, Colorado.
Industry Leaders Attend Composites Manufacturing Facility Launch
On Jan. 31, the National Wind Technology Center (NWTC) at the National Renewable Energy Lab welcomed its newest building: the Composites Manufacturing Education and Technology (CoMET) facility.
Computer-Aided Design Speeds Development of Safe, Affordable, and Efficient Batteries
Cutting-edge battery simulation tools developed by NREL and its partners in the Computer-Aided Engineering for Electric Drive Vehicle Batteries (CAEBAT) project are improving battery safety and performance, while driving down cost and development time.
Sensor Company Acquires Innovation Incubator Awardee, Launches Next-Generation "Connected" Building Technology
A sensor company has acquired the first beta-ready technology from the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator, which is co-administered by NREL.
NREL at 40: Research Efforts Drive Advanced Energy
Decades of world-class research has expanded the American energy landscape
News Release: NREL Seeks Participants for 2017 National Executive Energy Leadership Program
The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has selected 22 leaders to participate in its 2017 Executive Energy Leadership program (Energy Execs).
February 2017
Lambkins Roar as the Top High School in the 27th Colorado Science Bowl
Lammie had a hard time deciding which team to back in the 27th Colorado High School Science Bowl on Feb. 11 at Littleton's Dakota Ridge High School.
NREL Partnerships Designed to Make Wind Farms More Productive
NREL and two industry partners, NextEra Energy, Inc., and YStrategies, Inc., signed a cooperative research and development agreement in December 2016 to bring wake steering, or slight adjustments to turbine direction that reduce wind drag, to industry wind plants for the first time.
NREL, SLAC Determine Ideal Conditions for Making Perovskite Photovoltaic Absorbers
Researchers at NREL and the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have mapped the processing phase space where ideal conditions exist to create perovskite photovoltaic absorbers.
News Release: Fort Collins High School Wins 27th Colorado Science Bowl
Students from Fort Collins, Colo., dominated this year's Colorado High School Science Bowl with Fort Collins High School emerging victorious over second-place finisher Ridgeview Classical.
NREL Validates $1-Million H-Prize Submission for DOE
In January the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Hydrogen Education Foundation announced SimpleFuel as the winner of the $1 million H2 Refuel H-Prize Competition to develop a home hydrogen fueling system. NREL acted as the independent validator for the competition by collecting and analyzing three months of system performance data and presenting the results to the independent H-Prize judges' panel.
NREL Engineer Robert McCormick Named SAE Fellow
Robert L. McCormick, an engineer at the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), has been named a fellow of SAE International, an association for engineers and other technical experts in automotive, commercial-vehicle, and aerospace industries.
Co-Optima Targets Maximum Transportation Sector Efficiency, Energy Independence and Industry Growth
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) released a new report that spotlights key accomplishments the first year of the U.S. Department of Energy Co-Optimization of Fuels & Engines (Co-Optima) initiative.
News Release: NREL Research Pinpoints Promise of Polycrystalline Perovskites
A team of scientists from the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) determined that surface recombination limits the performance of polycrystalline perovskite solar cells.
Last Updated May 28, 2025