Explore our collection of new stories for this topic.
Search or filter for a specific story using the options below.
February 2021
New Design Strategy Pushes Organic Photovoltaics Past 18% Efficiency
Holistic strategy optimizes electronic structure and morphology, opening a new route to higher-efficiency organic photovoltaic devices.
January 2021
Reliability Analysis of the U.S. West Reviews Barriers to a Renewable Future
As part of a multistate collaboration, NREL has modeled and assessed long-term reliability and integration impacts of solar PV growth in the western United States, with broader lessons for power grids and renewable policies.
After Four Decades of Photovoltaic Research, NREL Is Just Getting Started
In the 43 years since, the Solar Energy Research Institute—now known as NREL—has been a driving force in the development of solar photovoltaic (PV) energy. A new video shows why NREL researchers envision a future where PV is everywhere.
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.
Share
Last Updated May 5, 2025