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February 2015
FAST Revs Up with a v8
Offshore and land-based wind turbine systems are subject to complex and harsh operating conditions. When designing systems for such conditions, wind technology developers need powerful tools. One such tool is the computer-aided engineering tool called FAST, developed and supported by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The laboratory has recently released an improved and expanded version of FAST that features a new modularization framework that boosts the tool’s power, robustness, and flexibility.
NREL Researchers Advance Wind Energy Systems Engineering
In recent years, researchers from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have been making progress in multiple avenues of wind systems engineering. This includes the study of how to integrate wind energy engineering and cost models across wind plants, finding the important interactions between various subsystems to achieve a better understanding of how to improve system-level performance and cost reductions, and hosting international, collaborative workshops.
Guidelines Help Manage Risks and Encourage the Development of Marine and Hydrokinetic Technologies
Marine and hydrokinetic technologies convert the kinetic energy from ocean waves, tides, currents, and ocean thermal resources into electricity. The development and evolution of these technologies towards commercial and economic operation has proven to be a slow and expensive process. To help reduce the risks of industry failures and advance the development of current and new technologies at a lower cost and faster pace, the U.S. Department of Energy and National Renewable Energy Laboratory created a framework that provides a risk management methodology to identify and reduce risks during all stages of technology development and particularly prior to demonstration activities.
NREL's WIND Toolkit Provides the Data Needed to Conduct Power System Simulations
Researchers who conduct regional wind integration studies in the United States need to perform simulations of how the power system will operate under high-penetration scenarios. To do this they need detailed wind power output data from many locations. The wind data sets that are used in these studies must realistically reflect the ramping characteristics, spatial and temporal correlations, and capacity factors of the simulated wind plants, and must be time-synchronized with available load profiles.
Wind Career Map Shows Wind Industry Career Opportunities, Paths
In 2014, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), in conjunction with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), created a Wind Career Map—the first of its kind in the wind industry—to inform people interested in wind energy career opportunities.
NREL Handbook Helps Industry Collect and Interpret Solar Resource Data for Solar Energy Applications
Comprehensive handbook is a valuable resource for the solar industry on the collection and interpretation of solar resource data for each stage of a solar energy project, from initial site selection to systems operations.
NREL Science Central to Success of New Biofuels Projects: DuPont-NREL Partnership Delivered Key Innovations for Large Scale Cellulosic Ethanol Facility in Iowa
DuPont-NREL partnership lowered costs, proved success, paved way to 30-million-gallon facility opening in Iowa.
CANCELLED: Colorado High School Science Bowl
Due to inclement weather, the 25th annual Colorado High School Science Bowl has been cancelled. Information on the rescheduled event will be available in the near future.
Energy Department Announces 2016 Collegiate Wind Competition Participants
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory is pleased to announce that the Energy Department has announced the twelve collegiate teams that have been selected to participate in the second U.S. Department of Energy Collegiate Wind Competition.
2014 Energy Systems Integration Facility Annual Report Available for Download
New report highlights research and achievements for the ESIF in its first year of operation.
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Last Updated May 5, 2025