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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November 2017
Nov. 1, 2017
NREL Announces New Distributed Wind Competitiveness Improvement Project Contracts
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory recently announced six new contracts for Round 5 of the U.S. Department of Energy-funded Distributed Wind Competitiveness Improvement Project.
October 2017
Oct. 27, 2017
NREL Blows Up Batteries to Make the World Safer
NREL is Helping to Safely Power Our World One Controlled Explosion at a Time
Oct. 27, 2017
News Release: NREL, University of Washington Scientists Elevate Quantum Dot Solar Cell World Record to 13.4 Percent
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) established a new world efficiency record for quantum dot solar cells, at 13.4 percent.
Oct. 26, 2017
NREL Wins Prestigious UK "Academy Award" for Engineering
In the U.S. engineering world, R&D 100 Awards are the equivalent of Oscars, and the Engineer Collaborate to Innovate Award is the United Kingdom (UK) version on the other side of the pond. In September, NREL partners from University College London (UCL), along with NASA, the European Synchrotron Research Facility (ESRF), and the UK National Physical Laboratory (NPL), won an Engineer Collaborate to Innovate Award in the category of Safety & Security for lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery safety research using NREL's patented, R&D Award-winning Battery Internal Short Circuit (ISC) Device.
Oct. 25, 2017
News Release: NREL Research Yields Significant Thermoelectric Performance
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) reported significant advances in the thermoelectric performance of organic semiconductors based on carbon nanotube thin films that could be integrated into fabrics to convert waste heat into electricity or serve as a small power source.
Oct. 25, 2017
NREL Charges Forward to Reduce Time at EV Stations
Shortening recharge times may diminish range anxiety and increase electric vehicle (EV) market viability. Therefore, speeding up battery charging is crucial to improving the convenience of owning and driving an electric vehicle (EV). The Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is collaborating with Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Idaho National Laboratory (INL), and industry stakeholders to identify the technical, infrastructure, and economic requirements for establishing a national extreme fast charging (XFC) network.
Oct. 24, 2017
News Release: NREL Inks Technology Agreement for High Efficiency Multijunction Solar Cells
The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has entered into a license agreement with MicroLink Devices, Inc. (Niles, IL) to commercialize NREL's patented inverted metamorphic (IMM) multijunction solar cells.
Oct. 24, 2017
NREL Findings Could Lead to More Reliable Solar Cells
New research shows how to increase reliability of copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) thin-film solar cells. Key to the improvement is the use of photoluminescence excitation spectroscopy to identify defects in the solar cell that lower its efficiency and cause degradation.
Oct. 23, 2017
Driving Down PV Costs by Streamlining Project Data
NREL is teaming with a range of stakeholders on the Orange Button initiative to drive the creation and adoption of industry-led, open data standards for seamless data exchange across the solar industry.
Oct. 13, 2017
At NASEO Meetings, NREL's Solar Technical Assistance Team Gains States' Perspectives
NREL's Solar Technical Assistance Team attends meetings of the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) to stay up-to-date with the needs and concerns of state officials.
Oct. 12, 2017
NREL and Partners Highlight Collaboration and Explore Future During Partner Week
Partner Week, part of NREL's 40th anniversary celebrations, highlighted collaborators through a series of workshops and networking events.
Oct. 6, 2017
NREL Celebrates National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Day October 8
This week the National Renewable Energy Laboratory joins others across the United States to celebrate the third National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Day on Oct. 8--10.08--a date chosen to represent the atomic weight of hydrogen (1.008). Here's a recap of a few of our hydrogen and fuel cell research impacts from the last year.
Oct. 5, 2017
Undersea Microbes Provide Path to Energy Storage
NREL establishes first demonstration project in United States.
Oct. 4, 2017
News Release: NREL Evaluates National Charging Infrastructure Needs for Growing Fleet of Plug-In Electric Vehicles
A new study from the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) quantifies how much charging infrastructure would be needed in the United States to support various market growth scenarios for plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs).
Oct. 3, 2017
Study Estimates Consumer Demand for Electric Vehicle Charging Stations in Colorado
As the number of electric vehicles in Colorado continues to rise, the demand for publicly accessible charging stations increases as well. In partnership with the Regional Air Quality Council and the Colorado Department of Transportation, NREL conducted a study to help the state predict consumer demand for charging stations.
Oct. 3, 2017
NREL Workshop at the Solar Decathlon Investigates Net-Zero Master Planning
Attend NREL's "The Making of a Smart City" workshop at the Solar Decathlon from 2-3 p.m. on Monday, October 9, 2017, in the Wells Fargo Education Tent.
Oct. 2, 2017
New REopt Lite Tool Allows Building Owners to Optimize PV and Battery System Sizes
The REopt Lite web tool helps building owners evaluate the economics of grid-connected solar photovoltaics (PV) and battery storage at commercial sites.
Oct. 2, 2017
News Release: NREL, Johns Hopkins SAIS Develop Method to Quantify Life Cycle Land Use of Electricity from Natural Gas
A case study of the Barnett Shale region in Texas, where hydraulic fracturing was first implemented, for the first time provides quantifiable information on the life cycle land use of generating electricity from natural gas based on physical measurements instead of using assumptions and averages that were previously used for evaluation.
September 2017
Sept. 29, 2017
NREL Joins Collaboration to Study Enhanced Geothermal Systems
NREL is partnering with seven other national labs and six universities to better characterize the performance of enhanced geothermal systems.
Sept. 28, 2017
NREL to Helm Laboratory Consortium Focused on Vehicle Connectivity and Automation
Self-driving cars are the future of transportation, but little is known about their impact on energy demands. NREL's Chris Gearhart is leading a multi-lab initiative to maximize the combined potential of innovations in connectivity, automation, multi-modal systems, behavioral science, urban science, vehicles, and infrastructure.
Sept. 27, 2017
NREL Selected to Spearhead $3.5 Million DOE Project to Advance Algal Biofuels and Bioproducts
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced the selection of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to lead a new project, for up to $3.5 million, with the goal of reducing the production costs of algae-based biofuels and bioproducts through improvements in algal biomass yields.
Sept. 26, 2017
NREL Charts the Emergence of Corporate Procurement of Utility-Scale PV
Corporations and other institutions have contracted for more than 2,300 megawatts of off-site solar, using power purchase agreements (PPAs), green tariffs, or bilateral deals with utilities.
Sept. 21, 2017
NREL, EasyMile Collaboration to Usher in New Wave of Autonomous Vehicle R&D
In an important step toward furthering intelligent, efficient, and autonomous electric vehicles, NREL plans to partner on research and development efforts with EasyMile, a French smart mobility solutions company with offices in Denver, Colorado, and Singapore.
Sept. 18, 2017
News Release: NREL Investigates Coatings Needed for Concentrating Solar Power
Keeping storage tank corrosion rates to a minimum considered vital for use of molten salts
Sept. 13, 2017
News Release: Enzyme's Worth to Biofuels Shown in Latest NREL Research
An enzyme discovered at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) proves adept at breaking down cellulose fibers regardless of whether their crystalline structure is simple or highly complex. No other enzyme has shown that ability.
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