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October 2021

Oct. 28, 2021

News Release: New Data Set Quantifies How and When Energy Is Used Across All Major U.S. Building Types and Climate Regions

The data set released by NREL researchers, in collaboration with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Argonne National Laboratory, is critical for utility planners, regulators, state energy offices, researchers, and building owners to understand ways to best manage energy use.

Oct. 28, 2021

Researchers Discover Another Way To Sequester Lead in Perovskite Solar Cells

Scientists at NREL and Northern Illinois University have successfully prevented lead from escaping damaged perovskite solar cells. The research effort is their latest work in addressing concerns about potential lead toxicity.

Oct. 28, 2021

Large-Scale Experiments Demonstrate Advanced Controls for Autonomous Energy Systems

In a breakthrough for the autonomous energy systems research program, NREL has demonstrated new methods for optimizing more than 1 million distributed energy resources with autonomous controls. The updated approach cuts the computation time by more than tenfold, enabling real-time distribution system optimization for economics and stability in high-renewable power systems.

Oct. 27, 2021

Electric Vehicle Charging at Retail Locations Offers Convenience, Building Integration Opportunities

A new study from NREL compares load profiles from potential EV charging stations against those of big-box retail grocery stores to assess how the electricity demands of specific sites may change by adding EV charging.

Oct. 27, 2021

NREL Celebrates 45 Years of Energy Burden Relief for Low-Income Families in Weatherization Program

A favorite sweater, an open window, or a simple press of a button are all it takes for some of us to enjoy the perfect temperature in our homes. But many low-income households are battling their thermostat and struggling with their electric bill—paying a high price for energy-inefficient homes they have no control over.

Oct. 26, 2021

Turning the Tide for Renewables in Alaska

NREL is leading a multi-laboratory team to deploy three underwater moorings to collect data in Cook Inlet, a highly energetic corner of the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Alaska.

Oct. 26, 2021

Nothing To Fear for High-Renewable Systems: NREL Shows Scalable, Resilient, and Secure Systems With Communication-Less Controls

NREL has shown that relatively simple controls can enable power grids to operate with 100% wind, solar, and storage, without the need for dedicated device-to-device communications.

Oct. 22, 2021

NREL Drops the Bass on Solar Panels (for Science)

NREL researchers are not only skilled at making photovoltaic (PV) cells and modules. They are also world-class destroyers of PV modules. The goal is to discover and understand how these modules might degrade when installed outside for many decades. This helps other NREL researchers and engineers in the PV industry design better, longer-lasting modules.

Oct. 22, 2021

Connecting the Dots To Enhance Energy Efficiency, Workforce, and Low-Carbon Buildings

A true living laboratory, NREL added a small but noticeable splash of color to its cafeteria building. Five quantum dot windows were installed this summer as a demonstration project evaluating innovative windows technologies, in collaboration with UbiQD and the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator program.

Oct. 21, 2021

News Release: R&D 100 Awards Honor Two NREL Innovations

R&D World magazine today presented NREL with two of its annual R&D 100 Awards for research innovations.


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Last Updated May 5, 2025