June 2019
NREL Announces Finalists in Round 1 of American-Made Solar Prize
The range of innovations represented by the competitors include cell and device-related concepts as well as module and application hardware.
Shining Light on Best Practices for Global Renewable Portfolio Standard Policies
Renewable portfolio standards, or RPSs, can be designed in numerous ways. New research details best practices for ensuring RPS policies meet their desired objectives, highlighting examples from around the globe.
From Goldfish Blood Cells to SIMB President-Elect, Microbiology Is Steve Decker's Passion
The seeds of microbiology were planted in the inquisitive mind of a young Steve Decker when a microscope—gift-wrapped with his name on it—arrived on a cold Wisconsin morning.
Small-Scale Images May Hold the Key to Large-Scale Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling
By looking closely at battery cells, researchers hope to unlock the secret to scalable lithium-ion battery recycling.
'Nothing' technology creates less expensive thin-film solar cells
Solar cells made from elements in the third and fifth columns of the periodic table have been shown to be highly efficient at converting sunlight into energy, but their high costs pose a drawback and limited their use to niche applications.
The Man Behind the Goggles: Meet NREL's Visualization Guru, Kenny Gruchalla
Gruchalla's experience working on an icebreaker helps him design, build NREL's visualization lab, show researchers their projects in new ways.
May 2019
News Release: Solar District Cup Challenges College Students to Reimagine How Energy is Generated, Managed, and Used
The Solar District Cup challenges student teams across the U.S. to design and model the most reliable, resilient, and cost-effective distributed energy system possible for campuses, urban areas, and other developments in a common electrical distribution network.
NREL Delivers Industry-Shifting Software for Visualizing Wind Power Forecasts
We need the ability to plan our power, whichever way the wind blows. This means that system operators need real-time information--easily navigable and visually coherent--to truly build an intuition around wind power. They now have access to such a tool with WindView, a tool for visualizing wind power forecasts, created by NREL, Argonne National Laboratory, and University of Texas-Dallas.
$3M Solar Prize Round 2 Plans to Drive Innovation in U.S. Solar Manufacturing
The Solar Prize program supports entrepreneurs as they develop transformative technology ideas into concepts and then into early-stage prototypes ready for industry testing.
NREL's Advanced Manufacturing Projects Front and Center at InnovationXLab
NREL's recent groundbreaking advanced manufacturing work was on display at the InnovationXLAB Advanced Manufacturing Summit at Oak Ridge National Laboratory on May 7-8.
Aquarius HPC Cooling System Yields Impressive Energy Efficiency Results After NREL/Sandia Test
NREL and Sandia completed a performance evaluation study, determining the Aquarius, high-performance computing cooling system provides a very high percentage of heat capture direct to water--as high as 98% when evaluation computer nodes only.
Researchers Help Build Wind's Momentum at AWEA Conference
NREL experts are helping continue the momentum of U.S. wind power at the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) WINDPOWER 2019 by making presentations, building industry connections, and sharing their research in a top DOE publication developed for conference attendees.
NREL Releases Improved Controls-Oriented Wind Farm Modeling Tool
NREL’s wind plant performance optimization software framework, FLORIS, has been enhanced to provide greater usability and additional representation of flow physics.
NREL Supports Agtech Innovation Through IN2
New cohort of five agtech companies will validate their innovations with Donald Danforth Plant Science Center.
Top Cleantech Innovators Announced at the Industry Growth Forum
Five startups shine among some of the world's best cleantech entrepreneurs.
New Study Compares and Contrasts Cleantech Incubators and Accelerators
In an effort to help stakeholders keep up, NREL has recently published a first-of-its kind comparison of some of the nation's most notable cleantech incubators and accelerators.
Ready, Set, STEM! Racing Through the 29th Annual Middle School Car Competitions
Middle school students from 19 schools across Colorado race their solar and lithium-ion powered vehicles at NREL's 29th Annual Middle School Car Competitions.
ExxonMobil Partnership Will Support National Lab Research for Future Energy Solutions at Scale
A new $100 million agreement between ExxonMobil, NREL, and other DOE national laboratories will focus on developing transformative advanced energy technologies with a focus on reducing emissions.
NREL's Matthew Beard Honored by Royal Society of Chemistry
The society singled Beard out specifically for his "outstanding contributions to controlling ultra-fast carrier dynamics in nanostructures and perovskite semiconductors."
NREL Research Fellow Testifies on Plastic Recycling Before House Subcommittee
Plastics are essential to modern life--but it's hard to turn on the TV or browse the web without seeing poignant examples of the plastic life cycle extending far beyond usefulness. NREL Senior Research Fellow Gregg Beckham testified before a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee about one possible solution to the plastic pollution problem: chemical recycling.
Last Updated May 1, 2025