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January 2021
Solar Prize Marks Milestone with Round 3 Winner and Round 4 Semifinalist Announcements
The sun has set on another round of the American-Made Solar Prize, awarding two new solar startups for their innovations.
December 2020
Top 20 NREL Stories of 2020
NREL researchers and staff reached countless goals and achieved numerous successes in science, partnerships, and technology commercialization in 2020, from breaking world records to launching new initiatives. Here are just a few of the highlights.
Quantum Wells Enable Record-Efficiency Two-Junction Solar Cell
Researchers from NREL and the University of New South Wales achieved a new world-record efficiency for two-junction solar cells, creating a cell with two light-absorbing layers that converts 32.9% of sunlight into electricity.
Solar District Cup Students Are Ready for the Finals
The U.S. Department of Energy Solar District Cup Collegiate Design Competition has announced that 35 teams from 34 schools are advancing as finalists in the Class of 2021 program.
At 30 Years Young, the Future Is Bright for NREL's High-Flux Solar Furnace
With the breakneck speed of innovation at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the laboratory's High-Flux Solar Furnace (HFSF) is all the more remarkable for continuously facilitating envelope-pushing research since 1989.
First Solar's Photovoltaic Technology Completes 25 Years of Testing at NREL
Determining how many years a solar panel will last can take, well, years. Intended to function for 25 years or more, solar panels must be made to withstand the elements. In some cases, panels continue working well after their planned operational lifetime. Nowhere is this more evident than on the sunny hillside where NREL operates the Outdoor Test Facility.
NREL Research Takes Safety Issues into Account for Perovskite Production
While research continues to move perovskite solar technology toward commercialization, scientists at NREL are investigating how to manufacture them with human health in mind.
November 2020
Eight NREL Scientists Included on List of Highly Cited Researchers
Eight researchers affiliated with NREL are on this year's list of Highly Cited Researchers compiled by Clarivate Analytics' Web of Science Group, with four identified for their influence beyond their own scientific specialty.
October 2020
19 Innovative Projects Selected in $9 million Solar Desalination Prize Competition
On Oct. 19, DOE announced the 19 Innovation Contest winners of the Solar Desalination Prize, a $9 million prize competition designed to increase access to fresh water and strengthen water security in the United States.
News Release: Colorful Perovskites: NREL Advances Thermochromic Window Technologies
Scientists at NREL report a breakthrough in developing a next-generation thermochromic window that not only reduces the need for air conditioning but simultaneously generates electricity.
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Last Updated May 5, 2025