News Releases
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Dec. 27, 2018
While the United States was the first to demonstrate floating PV panels--with the first installation occurring 10 years ago on pontoons on an irrigation pond in Napa Valley, California--the idea has not received widespread national acceptance.
Dec. 13, 2018
New National Science Foundation and Department of Energy-funded research highlights a previously unexplored consequence of the global proliferation of wind energy facilities: a wake effect from upwind facilities that can reduce the energy production of their downwind neighbors.
Nov. 27, 2018
Researchers established identical raceway-style ponds in five outdoor locations to cultivate and harvest three strains of algae during the four seasons.
Nov. 19, 2018
Given annually by R&D Magazine, the awards honor the 100 most innovative technologies of the past year and were chosen by an independent panel of judges.
Nov. 14, 2018
Opportunity exists for thin-film photovoltaic and emerging technologies notable for being lightweight and flexible, according to scientists at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
Oct. 30, 2018
As part of an ongoing partnership designed to accelerate transfer of energy efficient technologies' to market, the Wells Fargo Foundation and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory added five new clean-tech startups to the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2) program.
Oct. 23, 2018
Working with DFW and the surrounding region, NREL and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) will identify technology approaches that maximize mobility energy productivity of passenger and freight options in this major transportation hub.
July 2, 2018
Sheila Hayter, group manager with the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), was installed last week as president of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) during the industry group's annual conference in Houston, Texas.
June 27, 2018
An international research team, including scientists from NREL, has discovered and characterized a new family of cytochrome P450 enzymes that is critical to improving the conversion of lignin--one of the main components of plants--into valuable products such as nylon, plastics, and chemicals.
June 19, 2018
Researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the University of Georgia developed a new genetic engineering technique to dramatically improve an enzyme's ability to break down biomass.
June 18, 2018
The program provides non-technical business, governmental, and community leaders throughout the country an opportunity to learn about advanced energy technologies, analytical tools, and financing to guide their organizations and communities in energy-related decisions and planning.
May 29, 2018
A recent analysis from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) found that, during last summer's total eclipse, solar energy output in the West dropped by about 5.9 gigawatts (GW).
May 10, 2018
Mowafak Al-Jassim, Andy Walker, Robert McCormick, and Gregg Beckham were chosen for their significant contributions to NREL and the larger scientific community.
May 9, 2018
Gregg Beckham, a senior research fellow and group leader at NREL, was awarded the prize for the development of hybrid biological-catalytic and recycling processes to convert biomass and waste plastics to useful chemicals and high-value materials.
May 8, 2018
A massive amount of wind data was recently made accessible online, greatly expanding the amount of information available on wind flow across the continental United States.
May 2, 2018
The Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has completed technology validation testing for Go Electric Inc. as part of the NREL-administered Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2) program.
April 13, 2018
A breakthrough in enzyme research led by the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the United Kingdom's University of Portsmouth has led to an improved variant of an enzyme that can breakdown ubiquitous plastic bottles made of polyethylene terephthalate, or PET.
April 10, 2018
A new software package developed by the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and industry partners SunPower and kWh Analytics is making the measurement of PV system expected lifetime performance more reliable, consistent, and accurate.
April 5, 2018
As perovskite solar cells set efficiency records and the nascent technology becomes more stable, another major challenge remains: the issue of scalability, according to researchers at the Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
April 3, 2018
An extensive experimental database of inorganic thin-film materials that organizes a decade's worth of research at the Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is now publicly available.
April 2, 2018
Scientists at the Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have discovered a new approach for developing a rechargeable non-aqueous magnesium-metal battery.
March 22, 2018
By studying and comparing the workhorse cellulose-degrading enzymes of two fungi, researchers from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory have pinpointed regions on these enzymes that can be targeted via genetic engineering to help break down cellulose faster.
March 7, 2018
Mark O'Malley, a senior research fellow at the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), has been elected as a foreign member to the National Academy of Engineering. Only 16 foreign members were chosen this year.
March 3, 2018
Students from northern Colorado dominated this year's Colorado High School Science Bowl with Fort Collins High School emerging victorious over second-place finisher Fairview High School (Boulder).
Feb. 26, 2018
Advanced energy innovation will be on display May 2- 4 in Denver, Colorado, when 30 small businesses present their business cases to a panel of investors and industry experts as the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) hosts its annual Industry Growth Forum (IGF).
Feb. 13, 2018
A research team including scientists from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory explored the possibilities provided by the natural world by researching how the bacteria Methylomicrobium alcaliphilum 20ZR uses methane, an abundant greenhouse gas, and converts it to valuable product precursors.
Feb. 6, 2018
In her new role, Young will work closely with NREL management to establish the lab's geothermal energy portfolio, including research and development geared toward advancing the use of geothermal energy as a renewable power source.
Jan. 31, 2018
The 2016 Renewable Energy Data Book shows that U.S. renewable electricity grew to 18.3 percent of total installed capacity and 15.6 percent of total electricity generation in 2016.
Jan. 30, 2018
Researchers at NREL created an environmentally stable, high-efficiency perovskite solar cell, bringing the emerging technology a step closer to commercial deployment.
Jan. 29, 2018
Leaders in the private sector, communities, non-profits, and government are eligible to participate in the program.
Jan. 23, 2018
An influx of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) charging without coordination could prove challenging to the nation’s electric grid, according to research conducted by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).
Jan. 16, 2018
A microscopic analysis of perovskite solar cells reveals new insight into how the devices degrade--information necessary for moving the technology closer to commercialization.
Jan. 9, 2018
Four agencies, including the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), hosted two workshops that led to a new report where the teams identified areas of importance for modeling variable renewable energy, performed experiments to determine key assumptions, and compiled a set of recommendations for future research in this area.
Jan. 8, 2018
The U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is spearheading the Electrification Futures Study, a research collaboration to explore the impacts of widespread electrification in all U.S. economic sectors--commercial and residential buildings, transportation, and industry.
