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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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).

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