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April 2022
Win-Win: Prize Competitions Drive U.S. Clean Energy Entrepreneurship
NREL customizes competitions for DOE technology offices—solar, water, buildings, geothermal, and others—to meet industry needs. American-Made is a pillar of DOE's activities, incentivizing U.S. entrepreneurs to strengthen American leadership in energy innovation and domestic manufacturing.
March 2022
News Release: Scientists Show Large Impact of Controlling Humidity on Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Greenhouse gas emissions from air conditioners are expected to climb as economic growth drives efforts to control both temperature and humidity, according to an analysis by scientists from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Xerox PARC.
55 Solar Decathlon Design Challenge Teams Advance as Finalists
Fifty-five teams representing 38 universities are advancing as finalists in the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2022 Design Challenge.
February 2022
Addressing Energy Challenges of Housing Health Care Professionals on Remote IHS and U.S. Tribal Lands
The Indian Health Service (IHS) serves 2.6 million American Indians and Alaska Natives annually on a mission to raise physical, mental, and spiritual health. One of the biggest hurdles is staffing.
Blok-by-Blok: Lower Emissions and Costs With Net-Zero Energy Modules
A new report from Blokable, the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2), and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) details actionable pathways to developing and building net zero energy (NZE) housing without increasing costs yet still reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. IN2 is managed by NREL's Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center.
REopt Is Not Lite Anymore
REopt, a free, techno-economic decision support model, helps users optimize energy systems for buildings, campuses, communities, and microgrids. Once called REopt Lite, the REopt tool is dropping the "Lite" in 2022 to better reflect its true status as a heavy-hitting and comprehensive optimization tool.
January 2022
Python Opens Up New Applications for EnergyPlus Building Energy Simulation
Buildings account for more than 40% of U.S. energy use and 70% of U.S. electricity use. Reducing that consumption and "shaping" it to match renewable generation requires us to design and operate buildings to be more efficient, flexible, and responsive. To do that, we must be able to better predict and model building energy use.
December 2021
Bringing Energy-Efficient Building Technologies Closer to Commercialization
DOE is accelerating emerging technologies from lab to market through its Technology Commercialization Fund (TCF). With an overarching goal to increase the number of commercialized energy technologies developed at national laboratories, the TCF Program awarded funding to support two NREL Buildings projects.
News Release: Researchers Publish First Comprehensive Building Stock Characterization Study for the United States
A new report and online dashboard by NREL is the first comprehensive characterization and segmentation of the U.S. building stock, providing a national typology of buildings.
November 2021
Path to Net-Zero Emissions Runs Through U.S. Buildings
Commercial buildings generate 16% of all U.S. carbon dioxide emissions.
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Last Updated May 5, 2025