June 2020
National Oceans Month: Celebrating Careers in Marine Energy
During National Oceans Month, we celebrate water power researchers who are discovering innovative ways to harness marine energy to generate electricity.
MHKiT Offers Marine Renewable Energy Mavens Tools for Success
NREL has launched MHKiT, an open-source software designed to support marine and hydrokinetic R&D through data processing and analysis.
Scientific Collaboration Buoys Future of Offshore Wind
Offshore wind, with its potential for domestic electricity-generating capacity of more than 2,000 gigawatts, could supply enough electricity to meet the needs of the entire United States twice over. NREL researchers are working with partners to make reliable, affordable, and accessible offshore wind energy a reality.
News Release: Waves to Water Prize Announces DESIGN Winners, Selects Jennette's Pier for Finale
This week, the U.S. DOE and NREL announced the winners for the DESIGN Stage and the location for the final DRINK Stage of the American-Made Challenges Waves to Water Prize: Jennette's Pier on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
News Release: NREL, CCHRC Combine Forces to Increase Research in Arctic Region
NREL is growing its mission space through an expanded collaboration with Alaska's Cold Climate Housing Research Center (CCHRC), based in Fairbanks, Alaska. CCHRC has 20 years of experience designing energy efficient, healthy, culturally appropriate homes in some of the harshest conditions on Earth.
Fuel and Engine Research Brings Cleaner, More Efficient Cars and Trucks Closer to Finish Line
Passenger cars and light-duty trucks typically account for 55% of U.S. transportation energy use. Recently, sharp increases in demand for deliveries have pressed some commercial trucks—which usually account for more than 25% of transportation-related fuel consumption—into overtime.
NREL Wind Experts Lead Global Efforts
Global Wind Day, celebrated worldwide on June 15, offers an opportunity to highlight NREL's leadership in wind energy research. On behalf of the U.S. DOE, NREL represents the United States by participating in 16 of the 18 International Energy Agency Wind Technology Collaboration Programme research tasks.
NREL Projects Headline Energy Department Wind R&D Newsletter
From workforce development programs that prepare young people for jobs in the wind industry to a new reference wind turbine that expands capabilities to assess offshore designs, NREL led some exciting projects featured in the Wind Energy Technologies Office's biannual Research and Development Newsletter.
Learn About the Revised IEEE Standard 1547-2018 on NREL's New Website
NREL has launched a new website featuring information on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Standard 1547-2018 for integrating distributed energy resources (DERs) into the modernized electrical grid.
Transforming Power Systems Cybersecurity with NREL's Cyber-Energy Emulation Platform
A new National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) technical report details a milestone capability at NREL to develop, emulate, and visualize interconnected power and communications systems for the study of cybersecurity and distributed energy.
IEEE Publishes NREL-Led Standard for DER Evaluation
The new standard, IEEE 1547.1-2020, clarifies the test and evaluation procedures to ensure distributed energy resources comply with established standard 1547-2018.
NREL's Sandra Loi Receives 2020 DOE Distinguished Achievement Award
Sandra Loi, project leader with the Technology Integration section in NREL's Center for Integrated Mobility Sciences, has been awarded the 2020 U.S. Department of Energy Vehicle Technologies Office Distinguished Achievement Award for her outstanding service to technology integration partners.
Daniel Bennett: Retired U.S. Army Colonel Brings His Cybersecurity Experience to NREL
Daniel Bennett, a retired U.S. Army colonel and former director of research for the U.S. Army Cyber Institute at West Point, joined NREL in September 2019 as the senior technical advisor for NREL's Energy Security and Resilience Center.
May 2020
ARPA-E Awards NREL To Study Risk and Reward of Energy Resource Flexibility
The Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) has announced $3.4 million in project funding for an NREL-led team in a new program designed to assess the delivery risk of grid assets' ability to provide expected power.
Inertia and the Power Grid: A Guide Without the Spin
A new video and report explain the historical role of inertia in maintaining a reliable power system—and how this role is changing as the grid evolves.
Scientists Pinpoint Pathways for Carbon Dioxide Uptake of Cyanobacteria
Research performed by the Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute (RASEI)—a joint effort between NREL and the University of Colorado, Boulder—shows how RASEI researchers traced the growth of individual cyanobacteria, providing new insights into the biological pathways that enable efficient photosynthetic growth, and ultimately high-value renewable fuels and chemicals.
HydroWIRES Pinpoints Key Design Elements of Tomorrow's Power System
Hydropower may be the missing puzzle piece that offers the flexibility and storage necessary to effectively bridge the gap between traditional and renewable resources on the grid.
American-Made Challenges Program Selects New Cohort of Power Connectors
This spring, a new cohort of Power Connectors joined the American-Made Challenges team following a competitive application process. The group was chosen for their expertise in areas that would ensure the success of competing teams and the overall program.
Virtual Science Bowl Offers Practical Lessons in Learning and Creativity
The NREL Education Programs team put their creativity to the test by hosting the 30th Colorado High School Science Bowl online for the first time in the event’s history. Cherry Creek High School's team won first place this year, unseating three-time champion Fort Collins High School.
Wind for Schools: Supporting Teachers and Students in Distance Learning
NREL is supporting distance learning for K-12 students through exciting, hands-on Wind for Schools programs such as KidWind and NEED (National Energy Education Development).
Last Updated May 1, 2025