July 2020
NREL's Hydropower RAPID Toolkit Webinar Shows Stakeholders the Permitting Path Forward
During an NREL-led Hydropower Regulatory and Permitting Information Desktop (RAPID) Toolkit Webinar, NREL legal and regulatory analysts presented updated features and showcased highlights from NREL's latest Hydropower RAPID Toolkit publication.
NREL Researchers Set Sights on Commercializing Biotechnologies with Industry Partners
Researchers at NREL are set to launch four bioenergy projects with industry partners that have the potential to accelerate the commercialization of novel bio-based products and technologies.
Haiku Sky's Childhood off the Grid Inspired a Career on the Grid
Most of us do not remember the first time we experienced electricity. It has always been a given. But for Haiku Sky, it is a distinct memory. He was four years old—and was fascinated by the idea that you could flip a switch and there would be light.
Hats Off and Happy Trails to NREL Wind and Water Pioneer Bob Thresher
From his trademark black hat to his legendary one-liners and singing contributions to the Wind Weenie Wailers, Research Fellow Bob Thresher undoubtedly cuts a memorable, larger-than-life figure. When asked to describe him, Thresher's colleagues label him as everything from "pioneer" and "mentor" to "friend," "hero," and even "rock star." They are not all misty-eyed tributes, however.
Increasing Power Expands Research Capabilities at NREL's Flatirons Campus
Wind energy, water power, and grid integration research conducted at NREL's Flatirons Campus gained a boost with a recent upgrade to the power capacity at the facility.
Solar Energy Technologies Could Meet Industrial Process Heating Demands
Solar energy technologies could meet process heating demands, reduce carbon emissions, and improve heating efficiency in the U.S. industrial sector—for up to 15-50% energy savings.
Open-Source Renewable Energy Potential (reV) Model Offers Endless Potential
What can the Renewable Energy Potential (reV) model calculate when it comes to renewable energy potential? Just about everything.
New Process Turns Carbon into Cleaner, High-Performance Diesel Biofuel Blendstock
A new single-phase catalyst that enables the conversion of renewable and waste carbon into sustainable diesel fuels has been developed through a unique collaboration between NREL and two DOE consortia, Chemical Catalysis for Bioenergy and the Co-Optimization of Fuels & Engines initiative.
New Metric Quantifies Productivity of Freight Mobility Systems
Trends such as the rise in e-commerce, increased vehicle electrification, connected mobility, automation, and new forms of delivery are poised to bring a paradigm shift in freight movement. In addition to modeling and forecasting emerging freight trends, having a way to quantify their impacts on freight mobility is critical. The new Freight Mobility Energy Productivity (F-MEP) metric does just that.
News Release: NREL Names Daniel Beckley To Lead Facilities and Operations
NREL recently made a key hire to a laboratory leadership position, naming Daniel Beckley as associate laboratory director for Facilities and Operations. Beckley will oversee a directorate that includes the laboratory's Site Operations; Environment, Safety, Health, and Quality; Information Technology; and Security and Emergency Preparedness organizations.
News Release: NREL Research Points to Strategies for Recycling of Solar Panels
Due to rapid increase of PV installations over the past decade, there is expected to be an explosion of retired PV modules by 2050. NREL scientists propose research and development to advance processes for managing that waste and establishing a PV circular economy.
DOE Announces Phase 1 Water Resource Recovery Prize Winners; Tees Up Phase 2
The U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Manufacturing Office and NREL have announced the winners of Phase 1 of the American-Made Challenges® Water Resource Recovery Prize.
2020 Annual Technology Baseline Electricity Data Now Available
Released each year, electricity-generation technology cost and performance data power forward-looking analyses at NREL and beyond.
News Release: Machine Learning Approach Produces 50X Higher-Resolution Climate Data
Researchers at NREL have developed a novel machine learning approach to quickly enhance the resolution of wind velocity data by 50 times and solar irradiance data by 25 times—an enhancement that has never been achieved before with climate data.
NREL Acts as Local Economic Stabilizer while Transforming Energy Around the World
Located in Jefferson County, Colorado, which is part of metropolitan Denver, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory has seen its economic impact on the county climb by more than 218% during the seven-year span from fiscal year 2012 to fiscal 2019.
From Brainstorming to Breaking Ground: A Progress Report from the FAST Grand Prize Winners
Four winning teams of the Furthering Advancements to Shorten Time (FAST) Commissioning for Pumped-Storage Hydropower Prize are reducing the time, cost, and risk associated with commissioning pumped-storage hydropower projects.
International Collaboration To Bring Wind into the Distributed Energy Mainstream
Spotting a solar panel on a rooftop or powering a small health center in a rural community was once rare. Fast forward a decade and the on-site, distributed solar energy boom is now powering everything from single-family homes to entire industries. Could that successful model be applied to wind energy?
Data Lake Provides One-Stop Shop for Open Data
The Open Energy Data Initiative Data Lake hosts high-value data sets and analytics tools in one public location, expanding access to the broader research community and accelerating innovation.
June 2020
Tracking Tomorrow's Category 5: Marine Renewable Energy Turns the Tide
Learn more about marine renewable energy, from powering remote coastal communities to the devices that predict hurricanes.
News Release: NREL Launches I AM Hydro Prize; Announces Fish Protection CONCEPT Winners
Today, NREL launched the I AM Hydro Prize, a new competition designed to transform the hydropower industry using advanced manufacturing technologies. NREL also announced the winners of the CONCEPT Stage, the first phase of the Fish Protection Prize.
Last Updated May 28, 2025