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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April 2014

April 30, 2014

News Release: NREL, Sandia Team to Improve Hydrogen Fueling Infrastructure

A new project led by the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Sandia National Laboratories will support H2USA, a public-private partnership co-launched by industry and the Energy Department, and will work to ensure that hydrogen fuel cell vehicle owners have a positive fueling experience as fuel cell electric vehicles are introduced starting in 2014–2015. By tackling the technical challenges related to hydrogen fueling infrastructure, the Hydrogen Fueling Infrastructure Research and Station Technology (H2FIRST) project is designed to pave the way toward more widespread deployment of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles.

April 21, 2014

NREL Looks for Star Science Students

Laboratory and aspiring scientists both benefit from Research Participant Program.

April 15, 2014

NREL Unlocking Secrets of New Solar Material

Perovskite, a semiconducting cube-like mineral, is jumping up efficiency charts faster than any other solar-cell material.

April 3, 2014

News Release: NREL’s Work for the U.S. Navy Illuminates Energy and Cost Savings

Field demonstrations of newly proven energy efficient technologies are yielding valuable results for the U.S. Navy, helping it meet energy goals. In partnership with the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) recently demonstrated eight technologies at installations in Hawaii and Guam, and the initial results have encouraged the Navy to move forward with broader implementation of several of the energy efficiency technologies.

April 3, 2014

Analysis Reveals Impact of Road Grade on Vehicle Energy Use

A new study sheds light on the incremental energy requirements imposed by road grade.

March 2014

March 27, 2014

News Release: Energy Systems Integration Facility Named Lab of the Year

The editors of R&D Magazine have named the Energy Department’s Energy Systems Integration Facility (ESIF) as the 2014 Laboratory of the Year. Located on the campus of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colo., research at ESIF transforms how the nation generates, delivers and uses energy by modernizing the interplay between energy sources, infrastructure, and data.

March 24, 2014

NREL Study Indicates Economic Potential for Wyoming Wind Transmission to California

A new study from the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) finds that the economic benefit of transmitting wind energy from Wyoming to the California energy market are likely to exceed the cost.

March 24, 2014

NREL Driving Research on Hydrogen Fuel Cells

As fuel cell cars get ready for the road, industry turns to NREL for help improving cost and reliability.

March 24, 2014

NREL Leads Demo of New Energy Management System at U.S. Naval Base

NREL Leads Demo of New Energy Management System at U.S. Naval Base

March 10, 2014

2014 Science Bowl Adds New Rivals, New Friends

Boulder's Fairview High School beats out 47 other teams to claim victory in this year’s state competition.

March 5, 2014

Webinar March 11: National Fuel Cell Technology Evaluation Center

The presentation will highlight NFCTEC efforts to accelerate fuel cell commercialization through analysis of technologies operating under real-world conditions.

March 4, 2014

NREL Energizes Outreach at Education Center

Revamped facility and programming bring renewable energy and energy efficiency knowledge to students, adult groups, and the community.

March 1, 2014

News Release: Fairview High School Wins 24th Colorado Science Bowl

Students from Boulder’s Fairview High School beat out 47 other teams to win today’s Colorado Science Bowl. They will represent Colorado at the Energy Department’s (DOE) National Science Bowl in Washington, D.C., April 24-28, where they will compete against more than 400 students from 70 high schools for the national title.

February 2014

Feb. 26, 2014

News Release: NREL Examines Solar Policy Pathways for States

The Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has published a report that aligns solar policy and market success with state demographics. By organizing the 48 contiguous states into four peer groups based on shared non-policy characteristics, the NREL research team was able to contextualize the impact of various solar policies on photovoltaic (PV) installations.

Feb. 19, 2014

NREL Report Quantifies Value of Two CSP Technologies with Thermal Energy Storage

NREL has found that parabolic troughs and dry-cooled towers deliver similar value for concentrating solar power (CSP) plants, despite different solar profiles. A new NREL report shows increasing importance for systems with thermal energy storage. The report also demonstrates that multiple CSP technologies and plant configurations can be analyzed using traditional planning tools such as production cost models.

Feb. 18, 2014

News Release: JISEA News: Study on Methane Emissions from Natural Gas Systems Indicates New Priorities

A new study published in the journal Science says that the total impact of switching to natural gas depends heavily on leakage of methane (CH4) during the natural gas life cycle, and suggests that more can be done to reduce methane emissions and to improve measurement tools which help inform policy choices.

Feb. 18, 2014

Unique Bioreactor Finds Algae's Sweet Spot

Bioreactor simulates precise climates, uncovers how to get maximum fuels from algae.

Feb. 14, 2014

News Release: NREL Scientist Named AAAS Fellow

David S. Ginley, a materials scientist at the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, has been named a fellow of the American Academy for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), an honor accorded to at most 1 percent of the prestigious scientific society’s membership each year.

Feb. 11, 2014

News Release: NREL Report Finds Similar Value in Two CSP Technologies

Parabolic troughs and dry-cooled towers deliver similar value for concentrating solar power (CSP) plants, despite different solar profiles, a new report by the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory has found.

Feb. 10, 2014

News Release: NREL Scientists Find Key Function for Ferredoxins in Algae Hydrogen Production

Scientists at the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory have demonstrated that just two of six iron-sulfur-containing ferredoxins in a representative species of algae promote electron transfers to and from hydrogenases. The finding suggests ways to increase the production of hydrogen by algae, which could help turn hydrogen into a viable alternative fuel for transportation.

Feb. 6, 2014

News Release: NREL Director Arvizu Elected to National Academy of Engineering

Dan Arvizu, director of the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), has been elected to membership in the National Academy of Engineering.

Feb. 3, 2014

Using Fuel Cells to Increase the Range of Battery Electric Vehicles

A team of NREL analysts identified potential cost-effective scenarios for using small fuel cell power units to increase the range of medium-duty battery electric vehicles.

January 2014

Jan. 27, 2014

NREL Joins Initiative to Boost Power Electronics Energy Efficiency and Job Market

In an initiative announced on January 15, NREL is joining North Carolina State University in the Energy Department's new Manufacturing Innovation Institute for Next Generation Power Electronics to accelerate development and commercialization of wide bandgap technology, as well as reinvigorate the U.S. manufacturing sector.

Jan. 23, 2014

Collegiate Wind Competition Set to Blow into Vegas in May

To help the nation’s future scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs continue to advance the wind industry, the Energy Department (DOE) established the first everDOE Collegiate Wind Competition. The competition will be held May 5–7 alongside the American Wind Energy Association’s (AWEA) WINDPOWER® 2014 Conference & Exhibition at Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas.

Jan. 23, 2014

DOE Issues Request for Information on Biological Hydrogen Production

The DOE Fuel Cell Technologies Office has issued a request for information seeking feedback regarding biological hydrogen production R&D pathways, barriers, issues, and opportunities. Feedback is specifically requested on the report for the Biological Hydrogen Production Workshop.

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