July 2020
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
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.
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.
Go-Solar Enables Utilities To Efficiently Manage Millions of Solar Photovoltaic Devices
Go-Solar is an NREL research initiative that enables utilities to monitor, estimate, and operate millions of photovoltaic arrays through efficient communication with only a small number of devices, instead of needing to connect to every individual rooftop solar system.
Virtual Collegiate Wind Competition Adds New Dimension to Wind Workforce Development
After four days of online presentations, the U.S. DOE announced the winners of the 2020 Collegiate Wind Competition. The award for the Turbine Digital Design contest went to California State University Maritime Academy, while James Madison University claimed the award for the Project Development contest.
NREL Cleans Up with FY19 Technology Commercialization Fund Awards
This year, DOE funded 21 NREL submissions--worth more than a total $6.8 million--through its Technology Commercialization Fund, accounting for 25% of all funded projects, more than any other DOE national laboratory and improving upon NREL's 2018 total of 16.
NREL Volunteers Design and Print Face Shields for Colorado Medical Facilities
As health care workers continue to fight on the front lines, NREL volunteers do what they can to help by manufacturing face shields for healthcare workers, paramedics, and firefighters in Colorado.
Answer to Energy Storage Problem Could Be Hydrogen
According to NREL researchers, seasonal energy storage can facilitate the deployment of high and ultra-high shares of wind and solar energy sources.
New Hydrogen Filling Simulation Tool Drives Innovation for Fueling Stations
As hydrogen fuel cell electric cars and trucks grow in popularity, a new publicly available Hydrogen Filling Simulation (H2FillS) tool is laying the groundwork for the safe design of hydrogen fueling systems.
MECC Invites Competitors To Make a Splash With Their Blue Economy Brainstorms
Challenging the best and brightest to unlock the power of the ocean, in August, the MECC will begin accepting applications for the 2021 competition.
News Release: Research Determines Financial Benefit from Driving Electric Vehicles
Motorists can save as much as $14,500 on fuel costs over 15 years by driving an electric vehicle instead of a similar one fueled by gasoline, according to a new analysis conducted by researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's NREL and Idaho National Laboratory.
Lowering Atmospheric CO2 in Large-Scale Renewable Energy Electrochemical Process
What if carbon dioxide (CO2), a prevalent greenhouse gas, could be transformed into higher-value fuels and chemicals using low-cost, renewable electricity? Recent results from NREL may enable the scale-up of an electrochemical process to reduce CO2 that has not been possible until now.
How Janine Freeman Got Where She Wanted to Be
Some soul-searching and road-tripping set her on the right route to her goal of working with NREL's System Advisor Model.
Tapping the Entrepreneurs of the Waves to Water Prize DESIGN Competition
Eight of the 17 winning teams in the DESIGN stage of the Waves to Water Prize received awards for their entrepreneurial wave-powered desalination designs.
NREL Supports Innovators as They Pursue New Ideas for Rural and Commercial-Scale Solar
Eight teams from across the United States are working with NREL to develop and test novel applications of solar energy in rural communities and commercial-scale settings as part of the second round of the Solar Energy Innovation Network.
From Space Travel to Fisheries: Wave Energy Modeling Tool Helps Design Tomorrow's Tech
NASA is using WEC-Sim (Wave Energy Converter SIMulator), an open-source code developed by NREL and Sandia National Laboratories, to ensure NASA’s Orion Crew Model uprights and remains upright upon landing in the ocean.
Concentrating Solar Power Best Practices Report Is First of Its Kind
NREL experts and industry leaders focus their knowledge on focused sunlight—an on-demand, renewable power source.
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.
Last Updated May 28, 2025