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 2015
Dec. 21, 2015
News Release: NREL Research Advances Hydrogen Production Efforts
Researchers at the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have made advances toward affordable photoelectrochemical (PEC) production of hydrogen.
Dec. 17, 2015
Inventive Thinkers at NREL Reach Record Number
Researchers register ideas on everything from wave power to methane use.
Dec. 17, 2015
NREL Records Progress Toward Understanding of Nanotubes
Scientists at the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have made progress towards answering a fundamental question about single-walled carbon nanotubes: do absorbed photons create only neutral excitations (excitons) or are some free charges created also?
Dec. 16, 2015
Helping Electric-Drive Vehicle Power Electronics Keep Their Cool
Conventional thermal interface materials can pose a significant bottleneck to heat removal from power electronics packages. High-performance thermal interface materials are a critical enabler to compact, high-performance, low-cost power electronics components for transportation and other applications.
Dec. 11, 2015
NREL Reveals Benefits of O2 Contact with Defects in 2D Semiconductors
Researchers at the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have explained the unusual behavior that stems from oxygen molecules interacting with defects in two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors.
Dec. 11, 2015
News Release: A Metabolic Pathway in Cyanobacteria Could Yield Better Biofuels and Bioproducts from Photosynthesis
Scientists from the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have discovered that a metabolic pathway previously only suggested to be functional in photosynthetic organisms is actually a major pathway and can enable efficient conversion of carbon dioxide to organic compounds.
Dec. 9, 2015
News Release: 2014 Data Book Shows Increased Use of Renewable Electricity
The 2014 Renewable Energy Data Book shows that U.S. renewable electricity grew to 15.5 percent of total installed capacity and 13.5 percent of total electricity generation. Published annually by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) on behalf of the Energy Department's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, the 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.
Dec. 9, 2015
NREL's Min Zhang Keeps Her "Bugs" Happy, Leading to Biofuel Breakthroughs
NREL researcher's partnership with a sugar-eating bacterium has enabled her to make breakthroughs in biofuels.
Dec. 4, 2015
From the EERE Blog: Colorado Joins the Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Race
The Energy Department's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) recently posted a blog about how the state of Colorado is quickly gaining momentum in the hydrogen and fuel cell technologies race.
Dec. 3, 2015
News Release: NREL Research Advances Understanding of Photoelectrodes
Scientists at the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have developed a new probe that could lead to a better photoelectrochemical cell.
November 2015
Nov. 25, 2015
Industry Growth Forum Fosters Cleantech Companies
Innovations showcased as entrepreneurs network, pitch for funding.
Nov. 19, 2015
News Release: NREL Estimates Economically Viable U.S. Renewable Generation
Analysts at the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) are providing, for the first time, a method for measuring the economic potential of renewable energy across the United States.
Nov. 17, 2015
New Geothermal Lab Manager Joins NREL
Henry (Bud) Johnston joined NREL on October 12 as the new Laboratory Program Manager for the Geothermal Technologies Program.
Nov. 17, 2015
NREL Efforts Push Hydrogen Vehicles Further Along
New fast-filling fuel station dedicated as part of National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Day.
Nov. 16, 2015
NREL Research Honored With R&D 100 Awards
A technology developed at the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has been honored by R&D Magazine as a winner of a coveted R&D 100 award as well as an Editor's Choice award.
Nov. 16, 2015
News Release: NREL Research Honored With R&D 100 Awards
A technology developed at the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has been honored by R&D Magazine as a winner of a coveted R&D 100 award as well as an Editor’s Choice award.
Nov. 5, 2015
News Release: NREL Growth Forum Brings Together Clean Energy Innovators
The Industry Growth Forum, hosted by the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), this week attracted more than 400 investors, entrepreneurs, technologists and thought leaders to Denver. At the conclusion of the event three companies were honored with Best Venture and Outstanding Venture Awards.
October 2015
Oct. 30, 2015
News Release: NREL Research Identifies Increased Potential for Perovskites as a Material for Solar Cells
Scientists at the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have demonstrated a way to significantly increase the efficiency of perovskite solar cells by reducing the amount of energy lost to heat.
Oct. 30, 2015
NREL Innovation Improves Safety of Electric Vehicle Batteries
Newly patented Internal Short Circuit device offers manufacturers a groundbreaking tool.
Oct. 26, 2015
NREL's Battery Life Predictive Model Helps Companies Take Charge
Companies that rely on batteries for enhanced energy efficiency-including electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers, solar and wind energy generation companies, and utilities-need to know how to use batteries most effectively. As investment in large-scale battery energy storage grows, it is also vital to know how long batteries will last in the field.
Oct. 23, 2015
News Release: NREL Releases Report Card on Environmental Efforts
The Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) continued to improve its environmental protection efforts at its South Table Mountain and National Wind Technology Center sites during 2014 by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, adding bird-safety features to campus structures, and assessing environmental impacts of potential laboratory development.
Oct. 21, 2015
News Release: “Little Box Challenge” Inverters Arrive at NREL
Today, 18 finalist teams for the Little Box Challenge, presented by Google and the IEEE Power Electronics Society, converged at the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to have their power inverters tested as part of a $1 million competition to build smaller devices for use in solar power systems.
Oct. 20, 2015
News Release: Dr. Martin Keller Named Director of National Renewable Energy Laboratory
The Alliance for Sustainable Energy (Alliance) today announced the appointment of Dr. Martin Keller as director of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and president of the Alliance which manages the laboratory for the Department of Energy.
Oct. 19, 2015
News Release: NREL’s Enhanced Scenario Framework for Electricity Sector Analysis Provides Cost, Performance Data
Projections of potential energy futures are highly dependent on the assumptions associated with specific technologies, market conditions, and energy policies. A new framework from the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) that includes generation technology cost assumptions and an ensemble of future scenarios is being used to improve the robustness and comparability of electric sector analysis by the lab, academia and other entities in the energy analysis community.
Oct. 8, 2015
News Release: NREL Dedicates Advanced Hydrogen Fueling Station
The Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) today dedicated its 700 bar hydrogen fueling station, the first of its kind in Colorado and in the national lab system, as part of a celebration of National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Day.
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