Explore our collection of new stories for this topic.
Search or filter for a specific story using the options below.
March 2018
News Release: NREL Discovers Enzyme Domains that Dramatically Improve Performance
By studying and comparing the workhorse cellulose-degrading enzymes of two fungi, researchers from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory have pinpointed regions on these enzymes that can be targeted via genetic engineering to help break down cellulose faster.
NREL Briefs Congressional Committee on Impact of Scientific Innovations on Transportation Future
On March 7, NREL's Laboratory Program Manager for Vehicle Technologies John Farrell briefed the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce on how the Energy Department and the national labs are driving innovation to spur advances in the efficiency and performance of fuels, vehicles, and the broader transportation system.
February 2018
Breakthroughs Move Researchers One Step Closer to $35 Billion Fuel Savings
NREL and its partners recently revealed breakthroughs in identification of fuel blendstocks for the U.S. Department of Energy's Co-Optimization of Fuels & Engines initiative. This national research effort is providing industry with the scientific underpinnings needed to accelerate introduction of high-performance fuels and engines that reduce energy consumption, improve air quality, and lower drivers' costs.
News Release: NREL Scientists Model Methane-Eating Bacteria
A research team including scientists from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory explored the possibilities provided by the natural world by researching how the bacteria Methylomicrobium alcaliphilum 20ZR uses methane, an abundant greenhouse gas, and converts it to valuable product precursors.
January 2018
News Release: 2016 Data Book Shows Continued Growth of Renewable Electricity
The 2016 Renewable Energy Data Book shows that U.S. renewable electricity grew to 18.3 percent of total installed capacity and 15.6 percent of total electricity generation in 2016.
December 2017
NREL Co-Leading New Consortium for R&D of Biomass Supply and Conversion Technologies, Announces Funding Opportunity
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), as co-leader of the new Feedstock-Conversion Interface Consortium (FCIC), is pleased to announce the release of a Directed Funding Opportunity (DFO) to accelerate innovation and adoption of new practices and technologies to determine the root cause of biomass handling failures and to design solutions.
Maria Ghirardi: Medical Studies Planted the Seed for Her Bioenergy Research
Maria Ghirardi was initially drawn to medicine, but switched to bioenergy, a field where she’s been a pioneer for decades.
News Release: NREL Research Finds a Sweet Spot for Engineering Better Cellulose-Degrading Enzymes
Researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have gained new insights into how glycosylation--the natural attachment of sugars to proteins--affects a key cellulase enzyme.
News Release: NREL Develops Novel Method to Produce Renewable Acrylonitrile
A new study from the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) establishes a novel catalytic method to produce renewable acrylonitrile using 3-hydroxypropionic acid (3-HP), which can be biologically produced from sugars. This hybrid biological-catalytic process offers an alternative to the conventional petrochemical production method and achieves unprecedented acrylonitrile yields.
October 2017
Undersea Microbes Provide Path to Energy Storage
NREL establishes first demonstration project in United States.
Share
Last Updated May 5, 2025