January 2020
News Release: Three Key Positions Filled on NREL Leadership Team
New deputy director and chief operating officer, chief human resources officer, and chief counsel to join team guiding the strategic direction of the laboratory.
Declining Renewable Costs Drive Focus on Energy Storage
An oft-repeated refrain—the sun doesn't always shine, is sometimes seen as an impediment to renewable energy. But it's also an impetus toward discovering the best ways to store that energy until it's needed.
December 2019
NREL Collaborating on Five Newly Funded Bioenergy Research Projects Totaling $15.3 Million
Funding from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) is fueling five new bioenergy research projects involving NREL scientists.
Solar District Cup Heats Up as 35 Student Teams Advance in Collegiate Competition
The DOE Solar Energy Technologies Office announced 35 student teams from 32 collegiate institutions as finalists in the Solar District Cup Collegiate Design Competition. The Solar District Cup is a new competition, led by NREL, that challenges multidisciplinary student teams to design and model optimized distributed solar energy systems for a campus or urban district by integrating solar, storage, and other technologies.
Modeling Tomorrow's Energy Infrastructure Today: Researchers model electricity systems for future resource and climate uncertainty
A new modeling approach takes future climate and water resource conditions into account for long-term electricity generation infrastructure planning.
Powering the Next Wave of Energy Converter Devices
A multiyear system design and validation project funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Water Power Technologies Office reached completion in 2019 and resulted in increased knowledge about development and validation of wave energy converter devices and their associated materials.
Updated Standard Scenarios Outlook Models Possible Futures for U.S. Electricity Sector
A flagship NREL analysis project, the fifth annual Standard Scenarios Outlook models 36 possible projections for power sector evolution through the year 2050.
2019 Year in Review - NREL's Top 20 Stories
Researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) achieved many goals across the spectrum of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies in 2019, and the news coming from the laboratory shows it.
News Release: NREL, Co-Optima Research Yields Potential Bioblendstock for Diesel Fuel
A novel oxygenate molecule that can be produced from biomass shows promise for use as a blend for diesel fuel, according to researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).
In Breakthrough Method of Creating Solar Cell Material, NREL Scientists Prove the Impossible Really Isn't
Scientists at NREL achieved a technological breakthrough for solar cells previously thought impossible.
Setbacks Are No Setback for Marine Energy Development: A U.S. Submarine Cable Analysis
The ocean may very well be the next frontier, and two major industries—telecommunications and marine renewable energy—are already employing and exploring this vital asset. Vital to both telecom and marine renewable energy development is careful planning to accommodate their respective operations, as well as those of other users of the ocean.
PVWatts at 20: Measuring Success in Megawatts and by the Millions
Expanding solar energy’s reach, one estimate at a time. Meet PVWatts.
On with the Wind
Wind turbines with social skills. Potato guns that help researchers better understand wind-wildlife impacts. A fast-growing and long-lasting demand for skilled wind workers. Whatever the story, 2019 saw gale-force developments in wind energy research at NREL, and these currents show no signs of slowing down.
Sunny with a Chance of Curtailment: NREL Simulates Possible Impacts of a Very-High-Solar Future
Analysts modeled how the future U.S. power system could operate with up to 55% solar energy penetration.
Small Colorado Utility Sets National Renewable Electricity Example Using NREL Algorithms
Holy Cross Energy brings NREL algorithms out of the lab and into homes, setting a national example for grid control.
FAST Grand Prize Winners Make Progress on Pumped Storage Research
Team Wittmeyer-Dasgupta of the Southwest Research Institute won a Furthering Advancements to Shorten Time (FAST) Commissioning for Pumped-Storage Hydropower Prize for a modular steel concept for dams that reduces costs by one-third and cuts construction schedules in half.
NREL Partners With SolSmart to Bring Solar to More Than 300 U.S. Cities and Counties
NREL has partnered with the SolSmart program, which recognizes cities, counties, and regional organizations across the United States that have successfully adopted solar energy into their communities.
Spin on Perovskite Research Advances Potential for Quantum Computing
The next generation of information technology could take advantage of spintronics--electronics that use the minuscule magnetic fields emanating from spinning electrons as well as the electric charges of the electrons themselves--for faster, smaller electronic devices that use less energy.
Q&A with Julieta Giraldez-Miner: Providing Innovative Integration Options to Utilities and Power Systems
NREL Senior Research Engineer Julieta Giraldez-Miner assists utilities with managing distributed energy resources (DERs), while leading NREL projects in microgrids, smart grids, and grid integration.
Last Updated May 28, 2025