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News and Feature Stories
The following news stories take an in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at how NREL is leading energy systems innovation and integration.
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July 2020
Hats Off and Happy Trails to NREL Wind and Water Pioneer Bob Thresher
From his trademark black hat to his legendary one-liners and singing contributions to the Wind Weenie Wailers, Research Fellow Bob Thresher undoubtedly cuts a memorable, larger-than-life figure. When asked to describe him, Thresher's colleagues label him as everything from "pioneer" and "mentor" to "friend," "hero," and even "rock star." They are not all misty-eyed tributes, however.
Increasing Power Expands Research Capabilities at NREL's Flatirons Campus
Wind energy, water power, and grid integration research conducted at NREL's Flatirons Campus gained a boost with a recent upgrade to the power capacity at the facility.
Open-Source Renewable Energy Potential (reV) Model Offers Endless Potential
What can the Renewable Energy Potential (reV) model calculate when it comes to renewable energy potential? Just about everything.
Solar Energy Technologies Could Meet Industrial Process Heating Demands
Solar energy technologies could meet process heating demands, reduce carbon emissions, and improve heating efficiency in the U.S. industrial sector—for up to 15-50% energy savings.
New Process Turns Carbon into Cleaner, High-Performance Diesel Biofuel Blendstock
A new single-phase catalyst that enables the conversion of renewable and waste carbon into sustainable diesel fuels has been developed through a unique collaboration between NREL and two DOE consortia, Chemical Catalysis for Bioenergy and the Co-Optimization of Fuels & Engines initiative.
New Metric Quantifies Productivity of Freight Mobility Systems
Trends such as the rise in e-commerce, increased vehicle electrification, connected mobility, automation, and new forms of delivery are poised to bring a paradigm shift in freight movement. In addition to modeling and forecasting emerging freight trends, having a way to quantify their impacts on freight mobility is critical. The new Freight Mobility Energy Productivity (F-MEP) metric does just that.
News Release: NREL Names Daniel Beckley To Lead Facilities and Operations
NREL recently made a key hire to a laboratory leadership position, naming Daniel Beckley as associate laboratory director for Facilities and Operations. Beckley will oversee a directorate that includes the laboratory's Site Operations; Environment, Safety, Health, and Quality; Information Technology; and Security and Emergency Preparedness organizations.
News Release: NREL Research Points to Strategies for Recycling of Solar Panels
Due to rapid increase of PV installations over the past decade, there is expected to be an explosion of retired PV modules by 2050. NREL scientists propose research and development to advance processes for managing that waste and establishing a PV circular economy.
DOE Announces Phase 1 Water Resource Recovery Prize Winners; Tees Up Phase 2
The U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Manufacturing Office and NREL have announced the winners of Phase 1 of the American-Made Challenges® Water Resource Recovery Prize.
2020 Annual Technology Baseline Electricity Data Now Available
Released each year, electricity-generation technology cost and performance data power forward-looking analyses at NREL and beyond.
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Last Updated July 8, 2025