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.
December 2012
Dec. 21, 2012
NREL Names New Executive
The U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory today named Barbara Goodman as Associate Laboratory Director for Renewable Fuels and Vehicle Systems to replace Dale Gardner who is retiring at the end of the year.
Dec. 20, 2012
Concentrated Solar Power with Thermal Energy Storage Can Help Utilities' Bottom Line, Study Shows
The storage capacity of concentrating solar power (CSP) can add significant value to a utility company's optimal mix of energy sources, a new report by the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) suggests.
Dec. 14, 2012
NREL and Johnson Matthey Announce Five-Year Collaboration on Biofuels
The U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) will partner with Johnson Matthey, a global specialty chemicals company, in a five-year, $7 million effort to economically produce drop-in gasoline, diesel and jet fuel from non-food biomass feedstocks, the federal laboratory announced today.
Dec. 13, 2012
NREL Employees and Managing Partner Pledge $500,000 to Aid Area Charities
The employees of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC, have pledged more than $500,000 to support local charities during the lab's annual holiday giving campaign.
Dec. 4, 2012
NREL Teams with Berkeley Lab to Analyze Solar Pricing Trends and Benchmark "Soft" Costs for PV Systems
The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE)'s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBL) jointly released two reports examining solar photovoltaic (PV) pricing in the U.S.
November 2012
Nov. 27, 2012
NREL Updates Solar Radiation Database
Golden, Colo., November 9, 2012 – The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and collaborators released a 20-year updated version of the U.S. National Solar Radiation Database, a web-based technical report that provides critical information about solar and meteorological data for 1,454 locations in the U.S. and its territories.
Nov. 26, 2012
NREL Researchers Use Imaging Technologiesto Solve Puzzle of Plant Architecture
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the BioEnergy Science Center (BESC) combined different microscopic imaging methods to gain a greater understanding of the relationships between biomass cell wall structure and enzyme digestibility, a breakthrough that could lead to optimizing sugar yields and lowering the costs of making biofuels.
Nov. 9, 2012
NREL/DOE Launch New Alternative Transportation Web Tools
The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has launched a new tool and redesigned DOE's Alternative Fuels Data Center Web site to help fleet managers, municipalities and consumers choose from a wide variety of alternative fuels and energy efficiency strategies for reducing petroleum use, vehicle emissions, and operating costs.
Nov. 8, 2012
NREL Receives Numerous Accolades from Industry and DOE
The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE)'s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and its employees have garnered awards and recognition from industry groups for advancing energy research as well as furthering the lab's sustainable operating practices.
October 2012
Oct. 12, 2012
NREL Nano-Technology Solar Cell Achieves 18.2% Efficiency
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have produced solar cells using nanotechnology techniques at an efficiency – 18.2% -- that is competitive. The breakthrough should be a major step toward helping lower the cost of solar energy.
Oct. 2, 2012
Alliance to Continue Management of National Renewable Energy Laboratory
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will extend the contract for management of its National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) by Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC. In a letter to the Alliance, DOE said it was providing preliminary notice that the Department will exercise the option to extend Alliance's contract to manage and operate NREL beyond the current five-year contract period. The Department did not specify the extension period in its notice to the Alliance.
September 2012
Sept. 28, 2012
NREL Study: Hybrid Delivery Vans Show Nearly 20 Percent Higher Fuel Economy
The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE)'s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) recently completed a performance evaluation report that showed significant fuel economy benefits of hybrid electric delivery vans compared to similar conventional vans.
Sept. 25, 2012
NREL Produces Ethylene via Photosynthesis
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have demonstrated a better way to use photosynthesis to produce ethylene, a breakthrough that could change the way materials, chemicals, and transportation fuels are made, and help clean the air.
Sept. 17, 2012
NREL's Industry Growth Forum Attracts Clean Energy Investors
Golden, Colo., Sept. 13, 2012 – Thirty clean energy companies will present their business cases to a panel of investors and industry experts in Denver Oct. 23-24 as the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) hosts the 25th NREL Industry Growth Forum.
Sept. 11, 2012
NREL Shows Heavy Duty Hybrid Trucks Deliver on Fuel Economy
A performance evaluation of Class 8 hybrid electric tractor trailers compared with similar conventional vehicles by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) shows significant improvements in fuel economy.
Sept. 5, 2012
NREL Selects Partners for New High Performance Computer Data Center
The U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has selected HP and Intel to provide a new energy-efficient high performance computer (HPC) system dedicated to energy systems integration, renewable energy research, and energy efficiency technologies. The new center will provide additional computing resources to support the breadth of research at NREL, leading to increased efficiency and lower costs for research into clean energy technologies including solar photovoltaics, wind energy, electric vehicles, buildings technologies, and renewable fuels.
August 2012
Aug. 10, 2012
Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles Make Rapid Progress in Range, Durability
The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) recently completed a seven-year project to demonstrate and evaluate hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) and hydrogen fueling infrastructure in real-world settings.
July 2012
July 26, 2012
NREL Study Shows Renewable Energy Potential in Every State
A new study of renewable energy's technical potential finds that every state in the nation has the space and resource to generate clean energy.
July 16, 2012
New Database from NREL Makes Costs of Energy Technologies More Transparent
A new web application collects cost and performance estimates for electric generation, advanced vehicles, and renewable fuel technologies and makes them available for utilities, policy makers, consumers, and academics. The Transparent Cost Database (TCDB) app provides technology cost and performance estimates that can be used to benchmark company costs, model energy scenarios, and inform research and development decisions.
July 10, 2012
NREL Joins Global Alliance of Solar Research Institutes
The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE)'s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has joined the newly-formed Global Alliance of Solar Energy Research Institutes comprising three internationally renowned research institutions.
July 5, 2012
NREL Staff Donates More Than 1,000 Pounds of Food for the Needy
Employees at the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) donated enough food in a recent drive to feed 50 adults and 100 children for a week.
July 3, 2012
Alberi to Participate in DOE's Early Career Research Program
A researcher at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE)'s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has been selected by DOE's Office of Basic Energy Sciences as one of 68 scientists to participate in DOE's Early Career Research Program.
July 2, 2012
NREL's Bharathan honored by Geothermal Energy Association
Dr. Desikan Bharathan, a principal engineer with the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), has been recognized with a GEA Honors Award by the Geothermal Energy Association (GEA).
June 2012
June 20, 2012
NREL Research Earns Two Prestigious R&D 100 Awards
A revolutionary new approach to air conditioning, and a three-junction solar cell that holds the world efficiency record – both developed at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) – have been named among this year's most significant innovations by R&D Magazine.
June 8, 2012
NREL Selected to Join Europe's DERlab
The U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has been selected as a new member of the nonprofit Association of European Distributed Energy Resources Laboratories (DERlab).