February 2025
NREL Plant Biologist Maureen McCann Named Senior Research Fellow
NREL has selected Maureen McCann, an internationally renowned plant biologist, to its highest technical position for a scientist: Senior Research Fellow.
Forget Football—These Colorado Teens Flipped the Regional Science Bowl Rankings
The stakes were high on Feb. 8, 2025, with 24 teams from 19 Colorado schools vying for the chance to represent Colorado in the National Science Bowl Finals in Washington, D.C.
Andrea Watson Named Associate Director for Innovation, Partnering, and Outreach at NREL
Andrea Watson has been selected to serve as the next associate laboratory director for the Innovation, Partnering, and Outreach directorate at NREL.
January 2025
These Innovative Approaches Harness the Benefits of Rooftop Solar Energy for Homes and Small Businesses
The Solar Energy Innovation Network (SEIN) Round 3 brought together eight multistakeholder teams from various locations across the United States to develop new approaches to solar deployment, focusing on residential and commercial buildings in underserved communities.
Cybersecurity Accelerator Expands To Speed Commercialization of Department of Energy Technologies
The Critical Energy Cybersecurity Accelerator has launched a new track to help technologies across the U.S. Department of Energy's 17 national laboratories bridge the gap from concept to adoption.
NREL Invites Industry, Academia To Help Advance Large Wind Turbine Designs
Request for proposals invites fundamental research efforts to generate validation data that could improve performance and reliability of large commercial wind turbines.
ARIES: Solutions at any Scale
Annabelle Pratt is a chief engineer in NREL's power systems engineering center whose motivation for her work runs deep.
Introducing GeoBridge, a New Launch Point for Geothermal Information
If you have ever struggled to find geothermal degree programs, conferences, trade associations, tax incentives, or other geothermal information, you are not alone.
NREL's Greg Martin Helps Engineer Energy Integration Onto the Grid
The group manager was singled out as a Distinguished Member of Operations Staff "for exemplary leadership, technical acumen, strategic vision, and unwavering passion for mission-oriented collaboration."
Planning and Development Pathways for Building Interregional Transmission
A new study by NREL and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory provides practical options for developing more interregional transmission infrastructure to move toward a transformed power system.
Reducing Data Center Peak Cooling Demand and Energy Costs With Underground Thermal Energy Storage
A new project led by NREL aims to incorporate geothermal underground thermal energy storage (UTES) technology for data centers.
Accelerator Opens To Increase Tribal Capacity for Engaging in Offshore Wind Energy
NREL, on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy, has launched the Capacity Accelerator for Tribal Offshore Wind Engagement aimed at supporting the capacity of Tribal nations to engage in decision-making processes and projects related to offshore wind energy.
Winners of Wind Turbine Materials Recycling Prize Enhance Domestic Recycling Industry With Novel Innovations
The $5.1 million prize, which was launched by the U.S. Department of Energy's Wind Energy Technologies Office and is administered by NREL, is tackling the challenge of recycling turbine blades and other hard-to-recycle components.
First Cohort of Solar Energy Innovators Awarded in Solar Prize Round 8
Twenty new innovators are now on their way to advancing technologies that can support the solar industry's growth and adoption.
The Dawn of Electric Trucking Calls for High-Power Charging
Just a few years ago, electric trucks seemed like a distant dream.
ChargeX Consortium Identifies Automated Solution To Fix Key Part of Electric Vehicle Charging User Experience
National laboratory researchers and industry collaborators in the ChargeX Consortium have identified a new mechanism called "seamless retry" that could alleviate a common electric vehicle (EV) driver frustration with public charging by automatically restarting failed EV charging sessions, so users do not have to.
JISEA Green Computing Catalyzer and Intel Build Framework To Measure Artificial Intelligence's Energy Use
Researchers at NREL are investigating methods to make computing more energy efficient.
How Jerry Hur Balances Award-Winning Work With High-Octane Car Drifting
The NREL Flatirons Campus research technician is celebrated for his meticulous work, attention to detail, and adherence to safety protocols--qualities that earned him a 2024 Distinguished Member of Operations Staff award.
Vast Federal Lands Have Potential for Renewable Energy—But Only a Small Fraction Is Needed
NREL analysis finds millions of acres have opportunity for solar, wind, and geothermal, while leaving most areas undisturbed or available for other land uses.
News Release: Floating Solar Panels Could Support US Energy Goals
Scientists and analysts at NREL quantified for the first time exactly how much energy could be generated from floating solar panel projects installed on federally owned or regulated reservoirs.
Last Updated May 28, 2025