January 2023
Clean Energy to Communities Program Launches: Stakeholder-Informed Program Meets Communities Where They Are
The DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and NREL interviewed 164 stakeholders from 95 communities—representing 40 states and six tribes—to inform the creation of its new community technical assistance program: Clean Energy to Communities (C2C).
New Model Could Help Break Through Inefficiencies of Common Water Treatment Systems
In the coming decades, water scarcity and insecurity is likely to intensify across much of the United States, which is why NREL researcher Hari Sitaraman is working to improve reverse osmosis systems.
Prize Winners Design Ways To Make the Most of Hydropower
The winners of the Hydropower Operations Optimization Prize, which launched in early 2022, used complex strategies, models, analytics, and machine learning to help hydropower meet challenges like demand, environmental requirements, flood management, and integration with solar power.
News Release: NREL Develops Systematic Framework To Compare Performance of Plastics Recycling Approaches
Researchers at NREL examined the benefits and trade-offs of current and emerging technologies for recycling certain types of plastics to determine the most appropriate options.
New Chapter for Ancient Place: Creating Sustainable Housing and Jobs in Rural Alaska
NREL's Cold Climate Housing Research Center is working with the Native Village of Unalakleet, a small community sprawled on Alaska's northwest coast, to create a new model of housing—an affordable, energy-efficient, adaptable house that meets the myriad challenges facing rural Alaska.
Nominate a Colleague for the Solar Decathlon Richard King Award by Feb. 1!
Know an influential U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon Alum or Faculty Advisor who has impacted the clean energy economy? Nominate them for the Solar Decathlon Richard King Award by Feb. 1, 2023!
NREL Team Wins 2023 Cooperative Research Award in Polymer Science and Engineering
NREL Materials Scientists Mou Paul and Abhishek Roy won the 2023 Polymer Science and Engineering (PMSE) Cooperative Research Award for their work in global water sustainability.
What Is Marine Energy?
Marine energy has huge potential to deliver clean, renewable energy to communities around the world. But these budding technologies are still up and coming and need people—like students, researchers, industry partners, and more—to help them succeed.
Our Most Popular and Powerful Water Power Moments From 2022
The NREL water power team tallied up the most popular events, news stories, and videos published over the last year.
December 2022
NREL Model Simplifies Hydrogen Production Analysis
Industries transitioning to renewable energy need the ability to analyze economic performance of various hydrogen production pathways. H2A-Lite can help.
News Release: New Method Addresses Problem With Perovskite Solar Cells
A new approach to manufacturing perovskite solar cells has addressed previous problems and yielded devices with high efficiency and excellent stability, researchers at NREL report in the new issue of the journal Science.
Scientists Discover Enzymes That Could Make It Cheaper To Recycle Waste Polyester Textiles and Bottles Than Making Them From Petroleum
Using Machine Learning, the NREL-Led Team Discovered Variants of "Plastic-Eating" Enzymes Adapted To Deconstructing all Varieties of PET--Even Durable Crystalline Varieties
NREL Biofuel Scientist Honored by Colorado Governor for Lifetime of Achievements
Over his 40-plus-year career, Michael E. Himmel has unraveled the complexities of using enzymes to deconstruct lignocellulosic biomass for climate-friendly fuels.
Beneath the Surface: How Kerry Strout Grantham Negotiates Sustainable Human Growth (and Some Stinky Hikers)
How do we balance both human and environmental needs? This is NREL’s Kerry Stout Grantham’s big question as she helps design the blueprint for coastal, island and remote communities to adopt marine energy.
NREL Selects Manufacturers of Small- and Medium-Sized Wind Turbine Technology for 2022–2023 Funding
NREL has announced plans to award $2.9 million to 11 manufacturers of small- and medium-scale wind turbine technology through CIP. These awards help manufacturers of wind turbines less than 1 megawatt in capacity, as well as other distributed wind technology.
Singing Inverters Show Electrical Harmony for Renewable Power Systems
The electrical grid is a symphony with each component playing its own tune. NREL researchers have taken such musical principles to heart in designing tools to test grid stability, and they had some fun on the way.
News Release: NREL Seeks Applications for 2023 Executive Energy Leadership Program
Energy Execs provides industry and community leaders an opportunity to learn about the latest advanced energy technologies, which will help guide their organizations in future energy-related decisions and planning.
Meet the 2022–2023 JUMP Into STEM Challenge Winners
The 2022–2023 JUMP into STEM Challenge Winners have been announced, featuring six teams of college students with diverse backgrounds and academic majors exploring solutions towards an equitable clean energy future through building science.
Inflation Reduction Act Invests $150 Million in NREL Projects
NREL will begin work early next year on a series of additions and improvements to two of its campuses made possible by $150 million in funding provided by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.
News Release: First Clean Energy Cybersecurity Accelerator Participants Begin Technical Assessment
The Clean Energy Cybersecurity Accelerator's (CECA's) first cohort of solution providers—Blue Ridge Networks, Sierra Nevada Corporation, and Xage—recently began technical assessment of their technologies that offer strong authentication solutions for distributed energy resources.
Last Updated May 1, 2025