News and Feature Stories

The following news stories take an in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at how NREL is advancing energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies.

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February 2023

Feb. 22, 2023

A Path for Considering Equity in Early-Stage Research

NREL researchers developed a new tool, the Justice Underpinning Science and Technology Research (JUST-R) metrics framework, that aims to help researchers think more about the social impacts of technologies from the earliest stages of research and development.

Feb. 21, 2023

In Ultrathin Layers, NREL Researchers Find a Path to Better Materials

For three decades, researchers have known that the addition of a single chemical creates better-performing solar cells. But they have not understood exactly why—until now. The answer has implications that stretch well beyond solar cells.

Feb. 21, 2023

Powering Forward: NREL, Puerto Rican Universities Train Next Generation of Energy Scientists

A new NREL initiative will bring Puerto Rican university students to NREL for hands-on training in cutting-edge hydrogen research.

Feb. 21, 2023

New Study Breaks Materials Down—Literally

NREL researchers rapidly age more than 300 material specimens to learn which could survive longest in underwater marine energy technologies.

Feb. 20, 2023

NREL Study Shows Wind Energy Can Help Puerto Rico Achieve Its Clean Energy and Grid Reliability Goals

The Puerto Rico Energy Public Policy Act, passed in 2019, set a goal for the territory to meet its electricity needs with 100% renewable energy by 2050. To support that goal, experts from NREL evaluated Puerto Rico's wind energy costs and technical potential.

Feb. 20, 2023

Cambium Offers Forward-Looking, Publicly Available Data To Build Into Grid Planning Workflows

In the latest installment of NREL's Tell Me Something Grid series, energy systems researcher Pieter Gagnon describes the value of NREL's Cambium data sets for making decisions about the future grid.

Feb. 17, 2023

Breaking Barriers to Home Electrification Through the EAS-E Prize

Apply for EAS-E Prize Phase 1 by March 8 to compete for $2.4 million in prizes and technical assistance to accelerate fast, easy, and scalable home electrification solutions.

Feb. 16, 2023

Clean Energy Innovators Book Shares the Human Side of NREL Research

NREL recently published "Clean Energy Innovators: NREL People Working to Change the World," a 202-page softbound book written by NREL's Ernie Tucker.

Feb. 16, 2023

A HERO's Journey: NREL's Wave-Powered Desalination Device Returns to the Outer Banks

In August 2022, researchers journeyed to North Carolina’s Outer Banks to deploy NREL's first wave-powered desalination for a second in-water test. The wave energy converter produced desalinated water for the first time.

Feb. 15, 2023

New Energy CLASS Prize Supports School Upgrades

Schools across the United States can benefit from infrastructure upgrades—improved ventilation and increased energy efficiency is good for students, teachers, and the school's bottom line.

Feb. 14, 2023

Top 3 Reasons Why Our Researchers Love Water Power (And You Should, Too)

This Valentine's Day, dive into all the reasons to love water power. NREL researchers share their top reasons to adore one of the oldest forms of renewable energy.

Feb. 10, 2023

National Academy of Engineering Bestows Honor on Deputy Laboratory Director Peter Green

NREL's deputy laboratory director for Science and Technology and chief research officer, Green is among 124 new members elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE).

Feb. 9, 2023

News Release: Perovskite-Based Thermochromic Windows Reduce Energy Load and Carbon Emission in Buildings

The use of thermochromic windows in office buildings improves energy efficiency across all climate zones in the United States by modulating the temperature inside, leading to a massive savings, according to a research effort led by NREL.

Feb. 8, 2023

Innovative HOPE Graduate Workshop Is Accepting Applications for Summer Participation

Annie Greenaway and Silvana Ovaitt started out as graduate student participants in the Hands-On Photovoltaic Experience (HOPE) workshop—a program designed to provide graduate students with opportunities to learn about photovoltaics from leading researchers.

Feb. 8, 2023

Leveraging NREL All-Electric HVAC Technology, Blue Frontier Earns $20 Million Development Boost

Bolstered by technologies developed at NREL, startup company Blue Frontier earned $20 million from the Bill Gates-funded Breakthrough Energy Ventures.

Feb. 8, 2023

SLOPE Platform Puts Clean Energy Job Growth Insights Into Hands of Decision Makers

Did you know there is potential for more than 1.6 million new jobs to be created across America by the year 2030 to help build the country's clean energy future? Insights such as this are now available through NREL's State and Local Planning for Energy (SLOPE) Platform.

Feb. 8, 2023

Toolkit Helps Tallahassee Ready for Clean Energy Implementation

The city of Tallahassee, Florida, has a long history of environmental stewardship and in 2019 set a goal to achieve 100% net clean, renewable energy by 2050. To assist in its planning efforts, the city sought insights from NREL.

Feb. 2, 2023

Q&A With Mou Paul: Artist Making Better Fuel Cells, Water Treatment Systems, and Cheese

As part of the Manufacturing Masterminds Q&A profile series, NREL senior staff scientist Mou Paul shares how she wanted to be a "great writer and a great scientist, too." Today, Paul has published fictional short stories as well as more than 40 scientific publications, won several high-profile awards, and earned more than 50 patents.

Feb. 2, 2023

NREL Patent Activity Climbed in FY 2022 as Researchers Recognize More Eureka Moments

NREL files an average of about 170 patent applications annually and releases roughly 48 open-source software titles.

Feb. 1, 2023

NREL Removes Initial Barrier to Distributed Wind Turbine Certification

By funding the cost of preliminary reviews for certification applicants, NREL is helping ensure that small- and medium-sized turbine designs can be certified for use in homes, schools, farms, and remote communities.

Feb. 1, 2023

Leader in Geospatial Data Science Named Most Promising Scientist

From geospatial modeler to role model, Anthony Lopez shines in the STEM community.

Feb. 1, 2023

Matthew Beard and Garry Rumbles Elected Fellows of AAAS

This week, NREL researchers Garry Rumbles and Matthew Beard were announced as fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

January 2023

Jan. 31, 2023

NREL Launches Synthetic Biology Project To Advance Biofuel Discovery Technologies With LanzaTech, Northwestern, and Yale

Carbon-negative production of biofuels and biochemicals will be the focus of a recent biosystems design project launched by NREL, LanzaTech NZ Inc., Northwestern University, and Yale University.

Jan. 31, 2023

Solar District Cup Finalist Teams Announced

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar District Cup Collegiate Design Competition announced today that 45 teams from 39 schools are advancing as finalists in the class of 2022–2023.

Jan. 31, 2023

Road Map Defines Path to a U.S. Offshore Wind Energy Supply Chain

A pair of NREL reports evaluates how the U.S. supply chain can evolve to support the national offshore wind energy target and position the industry for sustainable growth beyond 2030.

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