Explore our collection of new stories for this topic.
Search or filter for a specific story using the options below.
November 2017
New Study Indicates Shorter-Term Storage Can Reduce Variable-Generation Curtailments
Increasing the penetration of variable energy sources such as solar and wind energy in the grid without introducing heavy curtailment does not require costly, very-long-duration storage.
NREL Announces New Distributed Wind Competitiveness Improvement Project Contracts
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory recently announced six new contracts for Round 5 of the U.S. Department of Energy-funded Distributed Wind Competitiveness Improvement Project.
October 2017
America's Wind Energy Future Looks Seaward
NREL research supports emerging offshore wind industry.
News Release: NREL, University of Washington Scientists Elevate Quantum Dot Solar Cell World Record to 13.4 Percent
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) established a new world efficiency record for quantum dot solar cells, at 13.4 percent.
NREL Blows Up Batteries to Make the World Safer
NREL is Helping to Safely Power Our World One Controlled Explosion at a Time
NREL Wins Prestigious UK "Academy Award" for Engineering
In the U.S. engineering world, R&D 100 Awards are the equivalent of Oscars, and the Engineer Collaborate to Innovate Award is the United Kingdom (UK) version on the other side of the pond. In September, NREL partners from University College London (UCL), along with NASA, the European Synchrotron Research Facility (ESRF), and the UK National Physical Laboratory (NPL), won an Engineer Collaborate to Innovate Award in the category of Safety & Security for lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery safety research using NREL's patented, R&D Award-winning Battery Internal Short Circuit (ISC) Device.
News Release: NREL Research Yields Significant Thermoelectric Performance
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) reported significant advances in the thermoelectric performance of organic semiconductors based on carbon nanotube thin films that could be integrated into fabrics to convert waste heat into electricity or serve as a small power source.
NREL Charges Forward to Reduce Time at EV Stations
Shortening recharge times may diminish range anxiety and increase electric vehicle (EV) market viability. Therefore, speeding up battery charging is crucial to improving the convenience of owning and driving an electric vehicle (EV). The Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is collaborating with Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Idaho National Laboratory (INL), and industry stakeholders to identify the technical, infrastructure, and economic requirements for establishing a national extreme fast charging (XFC) network.
NREL Findings Could Lead to More Reliable Solar Cells
New research shows how to increase reliability of copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) thin-film solar cells. Key to the improvement is the use of photoluminescence excitation spectroscopy to identify defects in the solar cell that lower its efficiency and cause degradation.
News Release: NREL Inks Technology Agreement for High Efficiency Multijunction Solar Cells
The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has entered into a license agreement with MicroLink Devices, Inc. (Niles, IL) to commercialize NREL's patented inverted metamorphic (IMM) multijunction solar cells.
Share
Last Updated May 5, 2025