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.
Subscribe
Stay connected with the latest news and research breakthroughs from NREL.
October 2023
Oct. 5, 2023
NREL-Supported Projects Receive Nearly $6 Million in Funding To Advance Building Decarbonization Efforts
As a sub-recipient on nine awards through the Buildings Energy Efficiency Frontiers and Innovation Technologies (BENEFIT) funding opportunity, NREL will be diligently working with a variety of partners to advance building technologies and retrofit practices that enable healthier households and communities.
Oct. 5, 2023
Building Better Blades: Renewed Funding Supports Wind Turbine Blade Innovations at NREL
As one of six core partners in the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation, NREL just received an additional round of funding for research to help lower the cost and boost quality and sustainability of wind turbine blades.
Oct. 3, 2023
NREL-Developed Dashboard Fuels Decarbonization Across Commercial Fleets
Commercial vehicle fleet owners and operators face a pressing question: Can zero-emissions alternatives, like battery-electric and hydrogen-fueled trucks, accomplish the same work as their diesel-powered fleets? To answer this question, NREL has released a new web-based data platform called Fleet Research, Energy Data, and Insights (FleetREDI).
Oct. 3, 2023
Announcing Participating Schools in Solar District Cup Class of 2023-2024
In a bid to address the ever-evolving needs of the energy industry and bolster the clean energy workforce, the DOE Solar Energy Technologies Office proudly shares the colleges and universities participating in the Solar District Cup Collegiate Design Competition Class of 2023-2024.
Oct. 2, 2023
Athena ZEV Takes Up Challenge of Electrifying Airports and De-Risking Investment
NREL met with stakeholders and partners at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport to launch Athena ZEV—the next phase of Athena—which aims to electrify transportation and de-risk airport investments, with an initial focus on rental cars.
September 2023
Sept. 29, 2023
Moving Toward Equity, One House at a Time
NREL has worked with eight rural villages across Alaska on HUD Healthy Homes projects to improve the health, safety, and energy efficiency of homes in extreme climates.
Sept. 29, 2023
Solar Data Bounty Prize Stage 1 Finalists Selected
On Oct. 2, the DOE Solar Energy Technologies Office announced seven Stage 1 finalists for the American-Made Solar Data Bounty Prize, with each team receiving a $5,000 cash prize. The seven teams will now move on to Stage 2 to compete for part of $1.4 million in cash prizes.
Sept. 27, 2023
Making the Uncertain (More) Certain: How Malik Hassanaly Approaches the Invitation to Wonder
NREL researcher Malik Hassanaly embraces uncertainty—uncertainty quantification, that is—and using computational science to devise simpler methods of solving complex energy challenges.
Sept. 27, 2023
Boosting Building Efficiency in Unincorporated Norcross, Georgia
Community members from Unincorporated Norcross, Georgia, partnered with NREL researchers through the U.S. Department of Energy's Clean Energy to Communities Expert Match program to learn how to improve the energy efficiency of hundreds of commercial buildings.
Sept. 26, 2023
New Modeling Approach Ensures All Community Members Are Considered in Electricity System Evolution
NREL's Elaine Hale discusses the importance of integrated modeling and analysis that capture the characteristics and behavior of multistakeholder systems with diverse objectives in how the electricity system evolves.
Sept. 26, 2023
At a Glance: How Renewable Energy Is Transforming the Global Electricity Supply
Even as fossil energy still provides most of the world’s electricity, new electricity generating capacity is dominated by renewable energy projects.
Sept. 26, 2023
What Will It Take To Unlock U.S. Floating Offshore Wind Energy?
Investment in a port system and domestic supply chain could enable the United States to efficiently deploy floating offshore wind energy at a commercial scale on the West Coast, according to an NREL study.
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. 22, 2023
A Tale of Two Cities (Powered by Clean Energy)
Almost 2,500 miles and numerous differences in size, culture, and climate separate Los Angeles, California, from Tehuantepec, Mexico.
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
Clean Cities Celebrates 30 Years of Acting Locally To Generate National Impact
Clean transportation technologies are entering the market and hitting the roads faster than ever with billions of dollars in new investments from the federal government and private industry.
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.
Share