December 2020
Offshore Wind Industry Prepares To Ride Economic High Tide
National Wind Technology Center researchers at NREL apply a range of modeling expertise and tools to help industry, government, and research partners gain objective understanding of the balance among potential offshore wind costs, revenues, and risks within the context of technical, legal, regulatory, tax, and policy issues.
NREL's Bryan Pivovar Awarded for Excellence in Fuel Cell Research
The Electrochemical Society (ECS) headquarters has awarded the 2021 Energy Technology Division Research Award to Bryan Pivovar, a researcher in the Chemistry and Nanoscience Center at NREL.
Transportation Secure Data Center Turns 10, Sees Dramatic Growth
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Transportation Secure Data Center (TSDC), a national resource providing free online access to a veritable treasure trove of detailed travel behavior data applicable for a host of research applications.
Wells Fargo Invests $20M To Extend Highly Successful IN2 Incubator Program Through 2024
Now in its seventh year, the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2) is now a $50 million program, designed from the start to consider a diverse cross section of start-ups, collect them into cohorts, connect them with technological expertise, and accelerate their clean technologies to the marketplace.
November 2020
Synthetic Data Sets Set New Standard in Energy Systems Research
An NREL team and external collaborators have invented near-replicas of energy systems—realistic down to individual devices and up to interstate power transmission. The team's creation, Smart-DS, is set to become the new standard in modeling and simulating energy system scenarios.
Q&A With Tarek Elgindy on SMART-DS: Texas-Sized Grid Modeling for Renewable Resource Integration
Since joining NREL as a summer intern in 2015, Tarek Elgindy has since become a key engineer, developing SMART-DS: Synthetic Models for Advanced, Realistic Testing: Distribution Systems and Scenarios through the Power Systems Engineering Center.
Eight NREL Scientists Included on List of Highly Cited Researchers
Eight researchers affiliated with NREL are on this year's list of Highly Cited Researchers compiled by Clarivate Analytics' Web of Science Group, with four identified for their influence beyond their own scientific specialty.
News Release: Scientific Organization AAAS Names NREL's Green a Fellow
Johney Green, an associate laboratory director at NREL, has been named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
How Might Electric Vehicles Affect Electric Loads? Expanded Online Tool Provides Quick Answers
New feature of NREL's electric vehicle infrastructure projection tool helps utilities, agencies, and researchers predict hour-by-hour impact of charging on the grid.
From the Garage to the Open Sea: NREL's Scott Jenne To Patent Inflatable Wave Pump Design
NREL researcher Scott Jenne and his team are paving the way to the development of the wave energy generation devices of tomorrow.
HyBlend Project To Accelerate Potential for Blending Hydrogen in Natural Gas Pipelines
NREL will lead a new collaborative research and development project known as HyBlend to address the technical barriers to blending hydrogen in natural gas pipelines.
An Unexpected Debut: ARIES Microgrid Infrastructure Powers NREL Campus Through Outage
A power outage involving a transformer at NREL's Flatirons Campus provided an opportunity to demonstrate the benefits of the new Advanced Research on Integrated Energy Systems (ARIES) research platform. ARIES was used to repower the Campus exactly as envisioned for renewable microgrid systems of the future.
News Release: NREL Advanced Manufacturing Research Moves Wind Turbine Blades Toward Recyclability
A new material for wind blades that can be recycled could transform the wind industry, rendering renewable energy more sustainable than ever before while lowering costs in the process. The use of a thermoplastic resin has been validated at NREL.
Advanced Charging Systems Research Moves Consumer and Commercial Electric Vehicles Faster and Further
NREL stands at the forefront of the groundbreaking work to improve battery performance, combining extreme fast charging initiatives with grid integration opportunities to meet energy demands.
Maximizing Energy Production Looks Like a Breeze
Researchers at NREL are taking a plant-level, systems-engineering approach to maximize offshore wind systems' energy output, lifespan, and economic feasibility, while minimizing forces on individual wind turbines.
Taking It to Extremes: NREL-Led Project Explores Development of Oxide Electronic Devices for Extreme Operating Environments
An NREL-led project is developing tomorrow's tough electronic devices capable of withstanding temps of 600°C and other harsh conditions.
The World of Water Power Is Just One Click Away: Visit the Expanded STEM Portals Today
The STEM Hydropower and Marine Renewable Energy portals bring all things water power to educators and students. Learn more about the recently added resources.
EV Charging Stations Continued Strong Growth in Early 2020, NREL Report Shows
As electric vehicles (EVs) have increased in popularity over the past few years, the infrastructure to charge them has similarly expanded along interstate highways, at workplaces, and at public parking lots across the country.
NREL Examines U.S. Transportation Patterns During COVID-19 Pandemic
To predict the future, it helps to know a thing or two about the past. If you want to track down where the next viral hotspot might be, it is useful to know how those spreading the disease are moving.
NREL Invites U.S. Manufacturers To Help Advance Distributed Wind Technologies
NREL has issued a call to action for U.S. manufacturers of small- and medium-sized wind turbines by issuing a notice of intent under the Competitiveness Improvement Project to allow companies to prepare project ideas and teams in advance of a request for proposals planned for release in early 2021.
Last Updated May 1, 2025