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 2019
March 6, 2019
REopt Lite Adds Custom Electricity Rates and an Integrated Critical Load Builder
Building owners and energy managers looking to evaluate renewable energy and storage economics for their site can use REopt™ Lite's custom utility rate tariff capabilities and an integrated critical load profile builder—new features that allow a more detailed energy analysis without leaving the tool.
February 2019
Feb. 28, 2019
Competition Spurs Transformative Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling Solutions
The U.S. Department of Energy recently launched the Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling Prize, with NREL as prize administrator. The $5.5-million phased prize competition is designed to incentivize American innovators and businesses to develop and demonstrate processes that, when scaled, have the potential to profitably capture 90% of all discarded or spent lithium-ion batteries in the United States.
Feb. 27, 2019
News Release: NREL Pioneers Cleaner Route to Upcycle Plastics into Superior Products
The NREL team chemically combined reclaimed polyethylene terephthalate plastic, in the form of single-use beverage bottles, with bio-based compounds to produce higher-value fiber-reinforced plastics that can be used in products from snowboards to vehicle parts to wind turbines.
Feb. 26, 2019
NREL Urban Planners Translate Energy Technology into Market Success through Local, State, Federal, and Tribal Governments
Urban planners have not historically dealt in energy issues, yet clean energy is a growing focus around the world and urban planners' role in energy transitions is evolving as demand increases.
Feb. 25, 2019
News Release: NREL Emerging Markets Day Announces 2019 Presenting Start-up Companies
On May 8, investors, start-up companies, and industry leaders from around the world will convene in Denver, Colo., for the third Emerging Markets Day, a forum to discuss the most promising cleantech solutions to the pressing energy challenges faced by emerging economies.
Feb. 25, 2019
NREL to Host 12th Annual Beyond Lithium-Ion Symposium
The 12th Beyond Lithium Ion Symposium will focus on scalable energy storage beyond the current state-of-the-art for transportation and grid applications.
Feb. 25, 2019
Q&A with Annabelle Pratt: Managing Energy at All Scales
Annabelle Pratt is a principal engineer for the Power Systems Engineering Center at NREL. Pratt specializes in microgrid and home energy management systems (HEMS), and her work has included the evaluation of microgrid controllers and advanced distribution management systems (ADMS). We sat down with Pratt to learn more about her work and the newest research in these areas.
Feb. 25, 2019
News Release: NREL Industry Growth Forum Announces 2019 Presenting Start-Ups
The 30 companies were selected after a competitive application and review process from more than 150 applicants.
Feb. 25, 2019
Little Uncertainty Remains at NREL, Thanks to Improvements in PV Performance Measurement
NREL achieves the world's most accurate method to measure PV performance, with an uncertainty rate of only 1.1%.
Feb. 20, 2019
Bundling Strategies Offer Solutions to Microgrid Challenges
A new report examines novel approaches to microgrid financing and deployment in sub-Saharan Africa, where about 600 million people live without electricity.
Feb. 19, 2019
Gallium Oxide Could Have Low Cost in Future, NREL Analysis Reveals
The findings reveal gallium oxide wafers could be three to five times cheaper to manufacture than another related technology, silicon carbide.
Feb. 19, 2019
DISCOVR Algae Consortium Launches Call for Collaboration to Lower Cost of Algae Biofuels and Bioproducts
Driving down costs for algae-based biofuels and bioproducts involves enhancing algae productivity through selection of the most promising algae strains and implementation of effective cultivation strategies. To support this effort, NREL and its national laboratory partners formed a consortium project called Development of Integrated Screening, Cultivar Optimization, and Verification (DISCOVR).
Feb. 14, 2019
Scientific Collaboration Investigates Creative and Sustainable Bioenergy Solutions for Mining Industry
When industry, government laboratories, and universities work together, creative solutions can arise to environmental challenges. The latest example of this originated when NREL partnered with BHP--a global mining, metals, and petroleum company--to research sustainable ways to clean up legacy mining impacts and develop feedstocks for biofuels.
Feb. 14, 2019
Data-Driven Simulations Mirror a City's Traffic Patterns to Reduce Mobility-Related Energy Use
NREL is participating in a project led by Oak Ridge National Lab to create a large-scale, real-time “digital twin” of traffic conditions in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Feb. 13, 2019
Mini-Hackathon Lets Students Tackle Real Buildings Challenges
On January 9, a group of 20 undergraduate students from around the country participated in a mini-hackathon that melded their ingenuity and the lessons learned in the classroom.
Feb. 11, 2019
NREL Names Achilles Karagiozis as Buildings and Thermal Sciences Center Director
Dr. Achilles Karagiozis joins the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) as the new director of the Buildings and Thermal Sciences Center on Feb. 19.
Feb. 11, 2019
Wind Turbines Get Social To Improve Wind Power Plant Output
A partnership between the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the wind solutions company WindESCo, funded through the U.S. Department of Energy's Small Business Voucher Project, aims to improve wind plant performance by applying solutions that facilitate communication among turbines.
Feb. 5, 2019
Energy Executive Leadership Academy Provides Tools to Transform Energy
Through its Energy Execs program, NREL invites leaders from across the country to learn about advanced energy research.
Feb. 4, 2019
Webinar February 7: Addressing Challenges to Water Splitting Materials for Hydrogen Production through HydroGEN AWSM, a Multi-Lab Collaboration
In this DOE Fuel Cell Technologies Office webinar, researchers from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory will discuss the HydroGEN Advanced Water Splitting Materials (AWSM) consortium's extensive materials research capabilities to address R&D challenges in efficiency, durability, and cost.
January 2019
Jan. 31, 2019
ESIF’s Year in Review: Download the 2018 Annual Report
Download the 2018 ESIF Annual Report to get highlights on the ESIF's greatest achievements from the year. In 2018, research at the ESIF adapted and aligned to address the challenges that are shaping the electric grid today and into the future—from new types of partnerships, to developments in autonomous energy systems research, to a greater focus on energy security and resilience.
Jan. 31, 2019
Q&A with Murali Baggu: Shaping the Future of Grid Modernization
Murali Baggu is the laboratory program manager (LPM) for grid integration at NREL. Through his work with the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) Office of Electricity and Grid Modernization Initiative program, Baggu has been shaping the direction of power systems research at NREL. Baggu sat down with us to discuss his role at NREL and his work on various projects.
Jan. 29, 2019
Data to Decisions: NREL's Latest Cities-LEAP Work Provides Unique Solutions to Local Governments
The Department of Energy's Cities Leading through Energy Analysis and Planning (Cities-LEAP) project published three new pathways to use data to inform more strategic energy decisions at the local government level.
Jan. 24, 2019
NREL, Eaton Mark One Year as Partners on Innovative Energy Solutions
Seventeen Eaton employees are co-located at NREL under a cooperative agreement signed last January between the laboratory and the multinational power management company.
Jan. 23, 2019
News Release: NREL Seeks Participants for 2019 Executive Energy Leadership Program
Leaders in the private sector, communities, non-profits, and government are eligible to participate in the program
Jan. 21, 2019
Concentrating Solar Power's Role Could Grow if 2030 Cost Targets Realized
Concentrating solar power (CSP) could play an increasingly significant role in generating electricity in the contiguous United States by 2050 if the technology's levelized cost of electricity can be lowered to goals set by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in 2016.
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