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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March 2015
March 6, 2015
Colorado High School Science Bowl Rescheduled
On March 7, Colorado high school students will rack their brains to quickly find answers to rapid-fire questions at the 25th Colorado High School Science Bowl. Competition rounds begin at 9 a.m. and will last until 12:30 p.m., at the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), 15013 Denver West Parkway, Golden, CO.
February 2015
Feb. 26, 2015
News Release: NREL Refines Method to Convert Lignin to Nylon Precursor
A new study from the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) demonstrates the conversion of lignin-derived compounds to adipic acid, an important industrial dicarboxylic acid produced for its use as a precursor to nylon, plasticizers, lubricants, polyesters, and other popular products and chemicals.
Feb. 25, 2015
FAST Revs Up with a v8
Offshore and land-based wind turbine systems are subject to complex and harsh operating conditions. When designing systems for such conditions, wind technology developers need powerful tools. One such tool is the computer-aided engineering tool called FAST, developed and supported by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The laboratory has recently released an improved and expanded version of FAST that features a new modularization framework that boosts the tool’s power, robustness, and flexibility.
Feb. 25, 2015
NREL's WIND Toolkit Provides the Data Needed to Conduct Power System Simulations
Researchers who conduct regional wind integration studies in the United States need to perform simulations of how the power system will operate under high-penetration scenarios. To do this they need detailed wind power output data from many locations. The wind data sets that are used in these studies must realistically reflect the ramping characteristics, spatial and temporal correlations, and capacity factors of the simulated wind plants, and must be time-synchronized with available load profiles.
Feb. 25, 2015
Guidelines Help Manage Risks and Encourage the Development of Marine and Hydrokinetic Technologies
Marine and hydrokinetic technologies convert the kinetic energy from ocean waves, tides, currents, and ocean thermal resources into electricity. The development and evolution of these technologies towards commercial and economic operation has proven to be a slow and expensive process. To help reduce the risks of industry failures and advance the development of current and new technologies at a lower cost and faster pace, the U.S. Department of Energy and National Renewable Energy Laboratory created a framework that provides a risk management methodology to identify and reduce risks during all stages of technology development and particularly prior to demonstration activities.
Feb. 25, 2015
NREL Researchers Advance Wind Energy Systems Engineering
In recent years, researchers from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have been making progress in multiple avenues of wind systems engineering. This includes the study of how to integrate wind energy engineering and cost models across wind plants, finding the important interactions between various subsystems to achieve a better understanding of how to improve system-level performance and cost reductions, and hosting international, collaborative workshops.
Feb. 25, 2015
Wind Career Map Shows Wind Industry Career Opportunities, Paths
In 2014, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), in conjunction with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), created a Wind Career Map—the first of its kind in the wind industry—to inform people interested in wind energy career opportunities.
Feb. 24, 2015
NREL Handbook Helps Industry Collect and Interpret Solar Resource Data for Solar Energy Applications
Comprehensive handbook is a valuable resource for the solar industry on the collection and interpretation of solar resource data for each stage of a solar energy project, from initial site selection to systems operations.
Feb. 23, 2015
NREL Science Central to Success of New Biofuels Projects: DuPont-NREL Partnership Delivered Key Innovations for Large Scale Cellulosic Ethanol Facility in Iowa
DuPont-NREL partnership lowered costs, proved success, paved way to 30-million-gallon facility opening in Iowa.
Feb. 20, 2015
CANCELLED: Colorado High School Science Bowl
Due to inclement weather, the 25th annual Colorado High School Science Bowl has been cancelled. Information on the rescheduled event will be available in the near future.
Feb. 18, 2015
Energy Department Announces 2016 Collegiate Wind Competition Participants
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory is pleased to announce that the Energy Department has announced the twelve collegiate teams that have been selected to participate in the second U.S. Department of Energy Collegiate Wind Competition.
Feb. 13, 2015
2014 Energy Systems Integration Facility Annual Report Available for Download
New report highlights research and achievements for the ESIF in its first year of operation.
Feb. 12, 2015
News Release: Testing at NREL Aids Solar Power in Hawaii
Inverter load rejection overvoltage (LRO) tests completed by the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory as part of a cooperative research agreement with SolarCity have proven so successful that a testing partner, Hawaiian Electric Companies (HECO), has proposed to double its hosting capacity for solar energy.
Feb. 11, 2015
News Release: NREL Takes First In-Depth Look at Solar Project Completion Timelines
The Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has gathered and analyzed data for more than 30,000 solar photovoltaic (PV) installations across the United States to better understand how interconnection regulations align with actual project completion timelines. The findings indicate that interconnection process delays are common, and can range from several days to months. Streamlining the application review and final authorization processes can ultimately benefit utilities and solar consumers by reducing the time and cost associated with going solar.
Feb. 11, 2015
Webinar Rescheduled: Material Handling Fuel Cells for Building Electric Peak Shaving Applications
This Fuel Cell Technologies Office webinar, presented by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, will explore the synergy between a facility's use of hydrogen fuel cell forklifts and its reduction of electric grid time of use energy charges.
Feb. 5, 2015
Watch Energy Secretary Moniz Test Drive the Toyota Mirai FCEV
The Energy Department posted a video of Secretary Ernest Moniz driving the Toyota Mirai, the first fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) for sale in the United States.
Feb. 4, 2015
News Release: News Release: New Incubator Network to Help Clean-Energy Entrepreneurs
The Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) have launched the Clean Energy Incubator Network. The program, funded by the Energy Department, aims to improve the performance of clean energy business incubators, connect critical industry and energy sector partners, and advance clean energy technologies emerging from universities and federal laboratories.
Feb. 4, 2015
Concentrator Photovoltaic (CPV) Report – Fraunhofer ISE and NREL Analyze Status of Market and Technology
The German Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) and the U.S. Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have compiled a study that describes the status of the current market as well as the state-of-the-art for concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) technology.
January 2015
Jan. 23, 2015
New Video Shows How NREL Is Redefining What's Possible for Renewable Energy Through Grid Integration
NREL is spearheading engineering innovations that will help optimize the entire energy system, and the lab's analysis capabilities complement that engineering work by identifying ways to integrate renewable energy effectively and economically. This 3-minute video shows how NREL research and analysis are redefining what’s possible for renewable energy on the grid.
Jan. 21, 2015
NREL Helps Utilities Develop Next Generation Plug-in Hybrid Electric Trucks
NREL has teamed with Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) and Efficient Drivetrains Incorporated to evaluate the performance of a unique Class 5 plug-in hybrid electric bucket truck. The innovative utility vehicle is equipped with batteries and an electric generator that can export up to 120 kW of power—enough to power a neighborhood while repairs are being made by electric crews. NREL test results will help PG&E fine-tune the design of such vehicles before expanding their use.
Jan. 21, 2015
News Release: NREL Reports Examine Economic Trade-offs of Owning versus Leasing a Solar Photovoltaic System
Two new reports from the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) examine the economic options customers face when deciding how to finance commercial or residential solar energy systems. NREL analysts found that businesses that use low-cost financing to purchase a photovoltaic (PV) system and homeowners who use solar-specific loans can save up to 30 percent compared with consumers who lease a PV system through a conventional third-party owner.
Jan. 21, 2015
Visit NREL ESI Program at DistribuTECH 2015
Stop by booth #4622 at DistribuTECH 2015 in San Diego to learn more NREL's state-of-the-art capabilities in energy systems integration.
Jan. 20, 2015
News Release: NREL Releases the 2013 Renewable Energy Data Book, Detailing Increases in Installed Capacity
The newly released 2013 Renewable Energy Data Book illustrates United States and global energy statistics, including renewable electricity generation, renewable energy development, clean energy investments, and technology-specific data and trends. The Data Book is produced and published annually by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) on behalf of the Energy Department’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
Jan. 19, 2015
News Release: NREL Scientist Brian Gregg Named AAAS Fellow
Brian Gregg, a scientist at the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), has been named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). AAAS cited Gregg for “distinguished contributions to the field of solar photoconversion, particularly for developing a unified understanding of the photoconversion mechanism in the various cell types.”
Jan. 16, 2015
NREL, Collaborators Complete Gearbox of Innovative Drivetrain
NREL researchers and industrial collaborators have completed the fabrication of a new gearbox and power converter software as a part of their ongoing project to create an innovative drivetrain.
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