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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October 2019
Oct. 8, 2019
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 fifth National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Day on October 8--10.08--a date chosen to represent the atomic weight of hydrogen (1.008).
Oct. 8, 2019
News Release: NREL Names FAST Competition Grand Prize Winners
The FAST Prize competition sought ideas to reduce the time to commission pumped-storage hydropower.
Oct. 7, 2019
From Refugee to Researcher
NREL Senior Scientist Huyen Dinh has overcome the upheaval of being a refugee to becoming a leader in hydrogen research.
Oct. 4, 2019
User Feedback Key to Supply Chain Modeling Tool Development
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has developed the Materials Flows through Industry (MFI) modeling tool, which applies a mine-to-materials analysis to a wide range of manufacturing scenarios, identifying and analyzing opportunities to reduce the energy and carbon intensities of the U.S. manufacturing sector.
Oct. 4, 2019
NREL Staff Discuss Their Research at AWEA Offshore
NREL researchers will attend the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) Offshore WINDPOWER Conference alongside staff from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO). The event takes place Oct. 21-23, 2019, in Boston and provides attendees an opportunity to engage in panels, presentations, and discussions about the status and future of offshore wind in the United States.
Oct. 3, 2019
CoMET Brings Together Collaboration in Composite Materials Manufacturing Research
Something about a 200-ft blade, heavier than an elephant, and spinning over 100 miles an hour, seems improbable--a triumph of manufacturing that often leaves onlookers in wonder. At NREL however, wonder is mixed with an ambition to improve. Beneath the towering test turbines at the National Wind Technology Center, NREL hosts a collaborative research environment for the growing composite manufacturing industry to build its skills and push its frontiers.
Oct. 2, 2019
National GEM Consortium Honors NREL Director Keller
The National Graduate Education for Minority Students (GEM) Consortium honored NREL Director Martin Keller with its Corporate Leadership Award.
Oct. 1, 2019
First-Ever American-Made Solar Prize Concludes, Awards Round 1 Winners: Phase3 Photovoltaics, Solar Inventions
Round 1 of the American-Made Solar Prize concluded as two final winners received $500,000 each.
Oct. 1, 2019
Now Publicly Available, NREL's ReEDS Model Expands Access to Inform the Power Sector
What might the U.S. energy generation mix look like between now and the year 2050? Thanks to the now publicly available Regional Energy Deployment System model, or ReEDS for short, we can now explore how the power system will evolve under changing market conditions.
Oct. 1, 2019
Researcher Champions Scientific Diversity
Ismael Mendoza leverages his experience and passion to attract a new generation of Hispanics to scientific research.
September 2019
Sept. 30, 2019
Training Convenes Wind-Wildlife Experts To Share Latest Research and Emerging Technologies
Nearly 30 members of the Wind Energy Technologies Office visited the Flatirons Campus of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to discuss and identify the best wind-wildlife impact minimization strategies for the efficient deployment of cost-effective wind energy projects across the United States.
Sept. 30, 2019
Q&A with Elizabeth Doris: Connecting NREL with the World it Serves
Program Manager Elizabeth Doris discusses the intersection of government and technology.
Sept. 25, 2019
EERE Announces 15 Phase I Winners of Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling Prize at NREL
Each winning team receives $67,000, for a total of $1 million awarded.
Sept. 23, 2019
News Release: NREL Joins Forces with Other National Labs on $100M Clean Water Hub
Its mission is to focus on early-stage research and development (R&D) for energy-efficient, cost-competitive desalination technologies.
Sept. 18, 2019
News Release: NREL Supports Prize for Innovations in Ocean Observing Platforms
The Powering the Blue Economy: Ocean Observing Prize will provide a new opportunity for industry and technology developers to develop marine energy technologies at a scale that is more attainable than utility-scale power.
Sept. 17, 2019
Call Sherry: Engineer Helps Tribes, Alaskan Villages Find Energy Solutions
In many tribal communities, electricity is expensive, unreliable, or completely unavailable. NREL Engineer Sherry Stout works with such communities, helping them use renewable energy to reduce costs and access reliable power.
Sept. 17, 2019
Colorado Case Study Demonstrates In-State and Rural Economic Impacts from Wind Manufacturing and Plant Construction
In-state wind turbine manufacturing and installation support both short-term and long-term jobs and other economic impacts, according to a National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) case study of Xcel Energy's 600-MW Rush Creek Wind Farm--Colorado's largest wind energy project. NREL researchers who conducted the study also gained a deeper understanding of how wind plant construction impacts the economies of rural communities, where wind plant construction often occurs.
Sept. 17, 2019
NREL to Showcase Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle at National Drive Electric Week Event September 19
NREL will showcase a fuel cell electric vehicle at a National Drive Electric Week ride and drive event in Denver on September 19.
Sept. 12, 2019
Q&A with John Barnett: Building NREL's Role in Security and Resilience
John Barnett brings expertise in energy system planning and national security to focus the growing work in energy security and resilience at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).
Sept. 11, 2019
A Year of Interconnectivity at ASHRAE
A recap of Sheila Hayter's whirlwind year leading the organization that shapes the world's built environment.
Sept. 11, 2019
Benefits of Agrivoltaics Across the Food-Energy-Water Nexus
In a recent article for Nature Sustainability, NREL's Lead Energy-Water-Land Analyst Jordan Macknick and co-authors investigated the potential benefits of co-located agriculture and solar photovoltaic (PV) infrastructure (dubbed “agrivoltaics”) on food production, irrigation water requirements, and energy production.
Sept. 10, 2019
NREL Releases Building Stock Analysis Case Study for New York City
NREL has published a new step-by-step guide for communities evaluating energy savings opportunities in their built environment.
Sept. 10, 2019
Automated Electric Shuttle Makes its Debut on NREL Campus
NREL's intelligent campus ventures accelerated this week with the introduction of an automated electric vehicle in its employee shuttle fleet. The EasyMile EZ10 shuttle took its inaugural ride on Monday, transporting staff and visitors around NREL's South Table Mountain campus after a dedication ceremony marking its first day of operation.
Sept. 10, 2019
Research Exchange at NREL Accelerates Philippines' Clean Energy Transition
The United States Agency of International Development (USAID) and NREL hosted a modeling group from the Philippines at NREL's campus for a month-long research exchange supporting the Philippines' development of competitive renewable energy zones (CREZ).
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