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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September 2023
Sept. 26, 2023
NREL Enhances REopt Web Tool With Hybrid Geothermal Heat Exchange Technology
A new capability of the REopt® web tool helps commercial building owners and energy managers more effectively evaluate the costs associated with geothermal heat pump (GHP) projects: the ability to integrate hybrid heat exchange with GHPs.
Sept. 25, 2023
NREL Research Finds the Right TEMPO for National Electric Vehicle Grid Planning
Electric vehicle (EV) adoption is moving forward at a rapid rate. However, the plan for supporting infrastructure—where, when, and how to deploy EV chargers and upgrade the power grid—is a complex and moving target.
Sept. 25, 2023
Projects Could Power 18 Million American Homes With Offshore Wind Energy
The offshore wind energy pipeline continued to grow last year, according to an NREL analysis recently released in the Offshore Wind Market Report: 2023 Edition. If fully developed, the projects would be enough to power more than 18 million homes.
Sept. 22, 2023
Technology Advancements Could Unlock 80% More Wind Energy Potential During This Decade
Near-commercial wind turbine innovations will allow for cost-effective wind power in additional regions of the United States.
Sept. 20, 2023
Beneath the Surface: Black Boxes, Robot Arms, and a Beloved Wave Tank
Charles Candon and Rebecca Fao are part of NREL’s testing team, which helps test and hone water power technologies as they journey from model to market. We spoke to them about their career origins and their day-to-day work.
Sept. 18, 2023
A (Virtual) Deep Dive Into Marine Energy's Capabilities
Visit Renewable Energy Discovery (REDi) Island to virtually see cutting-edge marine energy technologies in action.
Sept. 18, 2023
News Release: Predictive Model Could Improve Hydrogen Station Availability
Consumer confidence in driving hydrogen-fueled vehicles could be improved by having station operators adopt a predictive model that helps them anticipate maintenance needs, according to researchers at NREL and Colorado State University.
Sept. 15, 2023
Honeywell Aerospace and NREL Partner To Scale Novel Hydrogen Fuel Storage Solution for Drones
Electric unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are versatile for industrial applications but face performance challenges. A new collaboration is scaling an efficient and long-lasting hydrogen storage solution for UAVs.
Sept. 14, 2023
NREL Supports Efforts To Solve Drivers' Electric Vehicle Charging Experience Challenges
It has never been easier to locate a public charging station but finding one that functions properly can still be a frustrating reality for many electric vehicle (EV) owners.
Sept. 14, 2023
NREL and Joby Aviation Partnership Spotlights Green Ride-Hailing Flight Services
When Joby Aviation wanted to figure out the environmental impact of its future all-electric aerial ride-hailing service, NREL helped provide a technological bird's eye view.
Sept. 14, 2023
NREL Researchers Reveal How Buildings Across United States Do—and Could—Use Energy
Buildings are responsible for 40% of total energy use in the United States, including 75% of all electricity use and 35% of the nation's carbon emissions. Although today's decarbonization efforts often focus on renewable electricity or electric vehicles, decarbonizing the building stock is also essential.
Sept. 13, 2023
Does Hydropower Have an Invisibility Problem?
Hydropower is an often overlooked and misunderstood form of clean energy, but the Spark Squad is here to change all that.
Sept. 11, 2023
First Clean Energy Cybersecurity Accelerator Cohort Looks Back and Ahead
Three companies recently completed the inaugural cohort of the Clean Energy Cybersecurity Accelerator (CECA): Sierra Nevada Corporation, Blue Ridge Networks, and Xage Security.
Sept. 11, 2023
News Release: Combination of Stressors Key to Testing Perovskite Solar Cells
Perovskite solar cells should be subjected to a combination of stress tests simultaneously to best predict how they will function outdoors, according to researchers at NREL.
Sept. 8, 2023
Wave Energy Gets Ready for a Big First
Find out how researchers are helping four marine energy industry partners prepare their devices to face the waves at Oregon's PacWave South.
Sept. 7, 2023
NREL's Annual Partner Forum Eyes Pathways to Future Energy Systems
On the brink of extraordinary energy investments, partners from utilities, companies, and cities gathered at NREL's 7th Partner Forum, August 21-23, to discuss how to navigate the complex challenges of future energy systems through technological integration and detailed planning.
Sept. 7, 2023
Early-Career Researchers Gather in Grenoble, France, To Tackle Climate Change From a Global Perspective
In early July, 65 researchers from 16 countries gathered in a quiet town just outside of Grenoble in the northern French Alps.
Sept. 6, 2023
A Faster, Cheaper Way To Give Solar Panels a Clean Bill of Health
In the darkness of night, NREL is prototyping a new device that could cut time and costs for inspections of solar installations after potentially damaging weather.
August 2023
Aug. 31, 2023
After 20 Years, NREL and Walmart Partnership Stays Strong
In late 2003, Walmart approached NREL with a project whose goal was to discover failures as much as successes. It would spark a now two-decade-and-counting partnership.
Aug. 30, 2023
How Much Wave Energy Is In Our Oceans?
In a recent study published in Renewable Energy, NREL and PNNL researchers presented a more comprehensive and accurate methodology to measure the wave energy available in ocean sites around the world.
Aug. 30, 2023
New Prize Supports Rural and Municipal Utilities in Strengthening Cybersecurity Posture
To support the utilities powering rural America in fortifying their systems against cyber threats, DOE's Rural and Municipal Utility Advanced Cybersecurity Grant and Technical Assistance (RMUC) Program launched the Advanced Cybersecurity Technology (ACT) 1 Prize.
Aug. 24, 2023
Unlocking Hydropower's Potential
Hydropower systems will be vital to our transition to a clean-energy-powered grid. The new virtual Renewable Energy Discovery Island demonstrates hydropower's potential—a potential that NREL researchers are working hard to optimize.
Aug. 23, 2023
10 Years of Leading Energy Systems Innovation
Ten advancements that represent the full uniqueness, foresight, and continued importance of NREL's Energy Systems Integration Facility.
Aug. 22, 2023
News Release: R&D 100 Awards Honor NREL Innovations
R&D World magazine presented NREL with two of its annual R&D 100 Awards for research innovations.
Aug. 22, 2023
Battery-Electric Fishing Vessel Marks a Sea Change for Small Commercial Fishers
With help from commercial vehicle researchers from NREL, a small commercial salmon troller named I Gotta will soon make history as one of the first low-emissions fishing vessels ever deployed in Alaska.
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