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 2024
Feb. 13, 2024
NREL Collaborates on $15 Million Multilaboratory Efforts To Advance Commercialization of Carbon Dioxide Removal
DOE tapped NREL to support a new $15 million research effort to improve the measurement, reporting, and verification of carbon dioxide removal technologies, an industry with the potential to help mitigate climate change by addressing existing carbon emissions and removing them from the atmosphere.
Feb. 13, 2024
Unleashing the Power: BatMan Project Revolutionizes Battery Manufacturing
A recent battery manufacturing project—affectionately coined BatMan—has developed a novel laser patterning process to alter the microstructure of battery electrode materials.
Feb. 12, 2024
News Release: Benefits of Heat Pumps Detailed in New NREL Report
Millions of U.S. households would benefit from heat pumps, but the cost of installing the technology needs to come down to make their use a more attractive proposition, according to researchers at NREL.
Feb. 12, 2024
Making Solar Work for Everybody—How NREL Helps Envision a More Just Energy System
Solar energy can provide opportunities for renters to develop equity through community solar projects or create avenues for workforce development, lower utility bills, and increased energy resilience.
Feb. 9, 2024
New Webinar Series Will Showcase Real-World Projects Powered By NREL's Grid Planning and Analysis Tools
The new Powered By webinar series hosted by NREL's Grid Planning and Analysis Center (GPAC) can be your new go-to resource.
Feb. 8, 2024
NREL and Partners Receive Funding To Decipher Microbial Behavior in Bioreactors at Scale
A research team led by NREL recently received funding for their project that will study and model the behavior of microbes in bioreactors and reasons for potential failures at industrial scale.
Feb. 5, 2024
Martin Keller Named Lab Director of the Year by Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer
The Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC) for Technology Transfer recently awarded NREL Director Martin Keller its 2024 Laboratory Director of the Year Award.
Feb. 5, 2024
IN² Demonstration: Startup Transforms Transformers for Electric Vehicle Charging Efficiency
For its demonstration with IN², CorePower is partnering with Eaton, a power management company, to test a transformer designed for an electric vehicle charging application, especially mass EV charging for things like vehicle fleets.
Feb. 1, 2024
Can Ocean Energy Power Carbon Removal?
In a new study, NREL researchers analyzed the benefits and drawbacks of promising marine carbon management techniques.
Feb. 1, 2024
15 Finalist Teams Announced for AlgaePrize 2023–2025 Competition
This year's AlgaePrize finalist teams include students from high schools, community colleges, and universities from 11 states across the United States and Puerto Rico.
January 2024
Jan. 30, 2024
Announcing the Teams Racing to the Finish in the Solar District Cup
The U.S. Department of Energy Solar District Cup Collegiate Design Competition announced today that 60 teams from 53 schools are advancing as finalists in the Class of 2023–2024, including 17 teams from 17 schools that joined the competition for the one-semester division since December.
Jan. 29, 2024
Shashank Yellapantula Receives American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Fellow Designation
Shashank Yellapantula, senior staff scientist in NREL's Computational Science Center, was recognized as a 2024 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Associate Fellow.
Jan. 29, 2024
On the Ground in Colorado, NREL Is Simulating Sustainable Aviation Fuel Combustion During Flight
A cross-disciplinary research team is gathering meticulous fuel chemistry data to equip the aviation industry with an ultra-detailed sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) combustion simulation. Powered by supercomputers, the "virtual jet engine" can predict how SAF performs during flight and provide insights on how to tune it to maximize its safety and performance.
Jan. 26, 2024
New Analysis Highlights Geothermal Heat Pumps as Key Opportunity in Switch to Clean Energy
A new analysis from Oak Ridge National Laboratory and NREL found that installing geothermal heat pumps in around 70% of U.S. buildings could save as much as 593 terawatt-hours of electricity generation annually.
Jan. 26, 2024
Top 10 Things To Know About Power Grid Reliability
In the latest installment of the Tell Me Something Grid series, NREL's Paul Denholm shares what you need to know about the reliability of the U.S. power grid and why renewable energy can keep the lights on.
Jan. 25, 2024
Copper Is King, But It Is Time for a Metal Meritocracy
Meet the four teams competing to create materials that can out-conduct pure copper in the $4.8 million Conductivity-enhanced materials for Affordable, Breakthrough Leapfrog Electric and thermal applications (CABLE) Conductor Manufacturing Prize.
Jan. 24, 2024
How Extreme Weather and System Aging Affect the US Photovoltaic Fleet
A massive data set of photovoltaic system performance quantifies the small but significant impacts of extreme weather and long-term degradation, with important lessons for the PV industry.
Jan. 22, 2024
Local Clean Energy Projects Get a Boost Through New SOLVE IT Prize
The new $5 million SOLVE IT Prize will support development of innovative local clean energy solutions with heavy community involvement.
Jan. 22, 2024
Behind the Blades: Why Genevieve Starke Gave Up on Her Childhood Dream Job
As a kid, Genevieve Starke dreamt of becoming a con artist. Naturally, the little girl from Pennsylvania decided to pivot her dream to a field where rule-following was a little more appreciated. She picked engineering.
Jan. 19, 2024
John Kisacikoglu Tapped To Lead IEEE's Transportation Systems Committee
Mithat John Kisacikoglu has been tapped to lead the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Transportation Systems Committee (TSC), which focuses on electrification of the entire transportation sector.
Jan. 18, 2024
20 Teams Win First Phase of Wind Turbine Materials Recycling Prize
DOE announced the Phase 1 winners of the Wind Turbine Materials Recycling Prize. This $5.1 million, two-phase competition aims to boost a sustainable U.S. recycling industry for two high-impact categories of wind turbine materials: fiber-reinforced composites and rare earth elements.
Jan. 18, 2024
Saying Goodbye to a Cold-Weather Workhorse
NREL recently bid farewell to a 100-kilowatt distributed wind turbine prototype on NREL's Flatirons Campus. The turbine's removal signals the beginning of new, expanded distributed wind research capabilities for the laboratory.
Jan. 18, 2024
How NREL Helps Startups From the Beginning
Antora Energy, a startup focusing on improving heating, ventilating, and air conditioning technology, would not be where it is today without the help of NREL.
Jan. 18, 2024
Computational Mobility Scientist Honored With Colorado Governor's Award for High-Impact Research
In just three years as a researcher at NREL, K. Shankari successfully enabled communities to collect impactful multimodal data and went on detail to the U.S. Joint Office of Energy and Transportation to ensure the reliable buildout of a national electric vehicle charging network.
Jan. 16, 2024
Beneath the Surface: Nicole Mendoza Is a Supersonic Environmentalist
Nicole Mendoza is building extra-sustainable clean energy technologies, including kelp-like wave energy devices that mimic her beloved nature.
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