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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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March 2024
NREL's Rail Optimization Software Is Putting Freight Electrification on the Fast Track
Combined, two first-in-the-world products—NREL's ALTRIOS rail optimization software and Parallel Systems' autonomous battery-electric rail vehicles—aim to help shift a portion of the freight currently carried by on-road trucks to rail, catalyzing decarbonization across the whole transportation sector.
How Many Transformers Will US Distribution Grid Need by 2050?
New NREL research is providing first-of-its-kind modeling to help curb the current shortage of distribution transformers and ensure a reliable and resilient power grid.
February 2024
Leap Into New Capabilities: REopt Offers Enhanced Energy Solutions
The REopt team at NREL has significantly enhanced the publicly available REopt web tool and its underlying open-source code, providing more powerful capabilities.
High Honors From DOE Point to Important Work by NREL Staff
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) on Feb. 20 honored staffers from NREL for their work on five major projects with far-reaching implications.
Cutting-Edge Grid Planning Tools Drive India's Distributed Energy Future
India is transforming its power system, with distributed energy resources playing a major role in the country’s decarbonization journey. NREL grid analysts Kapil Duwadi and Erik Pohl discuss their roles on a team working with India’s state utilities to manage rapid distributed energy resource growth with customized tools and solutions to ensure safe and reliable grid integration.
NREL's Recyclable Carbon Fiber Composites Made Greener With Thermoforming
Senior polymer science researcher and group manager Nicholas Rorrer currently leads a team of NREL researchers working to replace the heavy, resource-intensive steel parts in vehicles with recyclable carbon fiber composites.
IN² Demonstration: Electrification—One Building at a Time
Through its IN2 demonstration, NREL is helping BlocPower assess how its technical capabilities can perform in the field.
Unleashing the Power: BatMan Project Revolutionizes Battery Manufacturing
A recent battery manufacturing project—affectionately coined BatMan—has developed a novel laser patterning process to alter the microstructure of battery electrode materials.
IN² Demonstration: Startup Transforms Transformers for Electric Vehicle Charging Efficiency
For its demonstration with IN², CorePower is partnering with Eaton, a power management company, to test a transformer designed for an electric vehicle charging application, especially mass EV charging for things like vehicle fleets.
January 2024
On the Ground in Colorado, NREL Is Simulating Sustainable Aviation Fuel Combustion During Flight
A cross-disciplinary research team is gathering meticulous fuel chemistry data to equip the aviation industry with an ultra-detailed sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) combustion simulation. Powered by supercomputers, the "virtual jet engine" can predict how SAF performs during flight and provide insights on how to tune it to maximize its safety and performance.
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Last Updated Aug. 20, 2025