December 2021
Extreme Weather, Rapid Innovation, and Rock-Bottom Prices: NREL Researchers Offer Guidance for Solar Systems To Last
Scientists at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory have laid out a cost-effective five-point plan to improve the reliability of solar panels in light of extreme weather, rapid innovation, and extremely competitive prices.
Riccardo Bracho Advises Energy Transitions in Countries Worldwide, Including His Native Mexico
After two decades working in finance, NREL analyst Riccardo Bracho pivoted to an energy career. Today he leads analysis of international power sector transformations.
Data-Informed Analysis Reveals Energy Impacts of Shared Micromobility
Driven by the growing popularity of shared micromobility—which typically involves the use of electric bicycles and scooters as well as regular bicycles—a research team from NREL is exploring the energy impacts of such travel modes versus the conventional modes they may replace.
NREL Launches New Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program, West Gate
Every day, game-changing technologies are introduced that could more easily transition the world to a clean energy future. However, few entrepreneurs have the resources to develop promising new technologies into successful cleantech startups.
NREL Acquires Next-Generation High-Performance Computing System
Kestrel will take flight and bring the U.S. closer to a clean energy future.
November 2021
Navigating Our Ever-Changing Electric Sector: The 2021 Standard Scenarios Outlook Is Here
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory's 2021 Standard Scenarios Outlook is now available. The Standard Scenarios are a suite of annually released future scenarios for U.S. power sector evolution through 2050.
Q&A With Alberta ("Birdie") Carpenter: How To Untangle Carbon From the Vast Web of Manufacturing and Supply Chains
In the first Q&A profile in a new series, Manufacturing Masterminds, Birdie Carpenter shares how she is working to reduce industrial energy use, carbon emissions, plastic waste, and more.
Scientists Discover Way To Improve Perovskite Efficiency and Stability
Researchers at NREL and affiliated institutions across the country have bolstered the efficiency of perovskite solar cells by as much as 16%.
NREL Provides Guidelines for Creating Next-Generation Data Ecosystem
Scientists at NREL are helping pave the way for the next generation of data-driven, AI-enabled material science. In a new journal article, the authors describe a decade-long effort to build a modern data ecosystem to support close interaction between computational sciences and materials sciences.
Path to Net-Zero Emissions Runs Through U.S. Buildings
Commercial buildings generate 16% of all U.S. carbon dioxide emissions.
Eight NREL Scientists Named to List of Highly Cited Researchers
Eight researchers affiliated with NREL are on this year's list of Highly Cited Researchers, with many familiar names from the 2020 list. Clarivate PLC, the London-based company that released the list on Nov. 16, selected 6,602 researchers around the world based on the number of highly cited papers they produced between January 2010 and December 2020.
U.S. Navy, KIUC, AES, and NREL Innovate and Collaborate for Resilience and Cost-Effective Clean Energy Project on Kauai
Largest 100% clean energy microgrid within U.S. Department of Defense supports island community, Pacific Missile Range facility, KIUC, and Hawaii's ambitious renewable energy goals.
Janna Martinek Works Behind the Scenes To Solve Some of NREL's Most Complex Problems
Since joining NREL in 2012, Janna Martinek has developed a reputation across the laboratory as a leader in numerical modeling and related engineering. She is also known as someone who can handle any problem that is thrown her way—no matter how complex.
Interlaboratory Consortium Broadens Technical Support Opportunities for South Asia
USAID and three Department of Energy national laboratories partner to advance clean and sustainable energy in South Asia.
New Reports From NREL Document Continuing PV and PV-Plus-Storage Cost Declines
NREL has released its annual cost breakdown of installed solar photovoltaic (PV) and battery storage systems. U.S. Solar Photovoltaic System and Energy Storage Cost Benchmark: Q1 2021 details installed costs for PV systems as of the first quarter of 2021.
American-Made Solar Prize Round 4 Winners Move Quickly From Ideas to Prototypes
On Sept. 16, DOE announced the winners of the fourth round of the Solar Prize. AeroShield Materials from Boston, Massachusetts, and the r&d lab from Petaluma, California, each received $500,000 to continue developing and commercializing their products and an additional $75,000 in vouchers redeemable for technical support.
Two Teams Named Grand-Prize Winners in Water Resource Recovery Prize
Phase 2 finalists of the Water Resource Recovery Prize receive honorable mention for proposing innovative solutions to lower the cost of water treatment by extracting valuable resources.
An Evolving Dictionary for an Evolving Grid: Defining Long-Duration Energy Storage
A new thought piece by NREL analysts describes the challenges of defining long-duration energy storage to reflect both duration and application.
Leader in Building Energy Modeling Research Reflects on Impact of NREL Career
Like many others, Luigi Gentile Polese was drawn to NREL by its mission and values. With a passion for energy and the environment, this innovator did not see an ambiguous job posting as a deterrent.
News Release: NREL's Kate Anderson Honored for Clean Energy Leadership
The U.S. Clean Energy Education & Empowerment (C3E) program has honored Kate Anderson of NREL for her leadership and achievement in the field of renewable energy.
Last Updated May 28, 2025