August 2019
Q&A with Jennifer Daw: Working at the Crossroads of Energy, Water, and Land
Balancing the needs of food, water, and energy is becoming one of the most important trends in sustainability strategy, and we talked with one of its experts, Jennifer Daw, the group manager of strategy, policy, and implantation within NREL’s Integrated Application Center.
Atomic-Level Look at Energy Already Solved One Mystery
Cara Lubner's research focuses on a novel method organisms use to generate energy, called flavin-based electron bifurcation. How this works was a mystery until Lubner and other researchers at NREL discovered the secret.
Updated Baseline Cost and Performance Data for Electricity Generation Technologies
NREL has released a 2019 update to the Annual Technology Baseline, a key source of reliable electricity generation technology cost and performance data used to support and inform electric sector analysis in the United States.
Virtual Tools Developed at NREL Create Real-World Savings
NREL researchers are creating useful software applications designed to help highlight potential costs and savings associated with renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies. In doing so, they hope to shorten the path to commercialization and increase overall adoption of those technologies.
Funding Provides Boost to Investigation of Nitrides
Nitride semiconductors have played an important role in certain technologies, such as light-emitting diodes and radio frequency transistors, but these materials aren't found in nature.
The Role Fungi Will Play in NREL's Biomass Research
The research will attempt to solve the mystery of what really happens when white-rot fungi -- the best lignin degraders in nature -- meet lignin.
Three NREL Scientists Receive Prestigious DOE Early Career Research Funding
The three were among 70 other researchers from institutions across the country named in an announcement made by the Office of Science.
July 2019
Fluid Mechanics and Fortuitous Plumbing: NREL Buildings Researcher Chuck Booten Talks Hands-On Entrepreneurship
NREL's Chuck Booten shares how managing rental properties changed the way he thinks about buildings research and entrepreneurship.
Addressing the Wind Energy Workforce Gap
A new NREL report, The Wind Energy Workforce in the United States: Training, Hiring, and Future Needs, assesses the national wind energy workforce and the hiring needs of the industry, along with the educational programs that are preparing students for work in the wind industry.
NREL Brings Promising High-Efficiency Solar Cell Down to Earth
The newly published research in Nature Communications details how the NREL researchers refined the D-HVPE process to produce solar cells more than 20 times faster than the process now commonly used.
Workshop Convenes Experts to Evaluate the Cybersecurity of U.S. Wind Farms
Earlier this month, NREL hosted a multi-stakeholder workshop to evaluate the growing potential for cybersecurity vulnerabilities on U.S. wind farms. The workshop, "Assessing the Impact of Cybersecurity on the Nation's Wind Farms," brought together the expertise of researchers across the national lab complex, the wind energy industry, original equipment manufacturers, cybersecurity product vendors, and standards organizations.
News Release: NREL Names FAST Prize Concept Stage Winners
The nine winners of the Concept Stage were selected from a field of 22 finalists. They will now move on to the "incubation stage" of the competition, which will culminate in pitch presentations on Oct. 8.
Greater Training and Education Needed To Meet Future Demand for U.S. Hydropower Workers
Expanded training and education programs are needed to meet future hydropower industry workforce needs, according to a new report produced jointly by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the Center for the New Energy Economy.
A Global Energy GameChanger
Leveraging the innovative spirit of the world’s startup community along with Shell and NREL’s resources, expertise, and facilities, the Shell GameChanger Accelerator Powered by NREL (GCxN) identifies and helps advance emerging transformative energy technologies with the potential to significantly impact the future energy landscape.
White House Honors Two NREL Researchers with Early Career Awards
Winners of the PECASE are nominated by a participating federal agency--the Department of Energy in this case--with the final selections made by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
Modeling and Analysis Guide Use of Gallium Oxide Material in Power Electronics
NREL research could lead to the development of leading-edge, high-performance vertical transistors.
NREL/Volvo Partnership Demonstrates Approach to Quantify Automated Vehicle Fuel Savings
The researchers leveraged on-road data from Volvo vehicles driving around Gothenburg, Sweden, and compared fuel efficiency for cars that used adaptive cruise control to those that did not.
Beyond Lithium-Ion XII Imagines the Future of Next-Generation Batteries
NREL hosted twelfth annual symposium on energy storage.
Researchers Propose Techno-Ecological Synergy for Solar-Sustainability Win-Win
While solar generation helps to significantly reduce emissions in the energy sector, ground-mounted solar arrays can still lead to environmental impacts. NREL analysts argue that a new framework can help mitigate, or even avoid, environmental degradation.
Tall Towers Tap Greater Wind Resource Potential
As wind technology grows in scale and productivity, researchers continue to look for ways to boost the energy captured while driving down costs.
Last Updated May 1, 2025