News Releases

Access news releases about the laboratory and renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies.

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Dec. 21, 2021

News Release: NREL Names Tina Herrera to Leadership Team as Chief Human Resources Officer

NREL has named Tina Herrera as chief human resources officer. Herrera will start with NREL on Jan. 3, 2022.

Dec. 20, 2021

News Release: NREL Launches New International Consortium To Advance High-Tech Mirrors Used in Solar Plants

NREL, joined by our partners at Sandia National Laboratories and the Australian Solar Thermal Research Institute, announces the launch of the Heliostat Consortium (HelioCon), an international effort to drive down the cost of heliostats.

Dec. 16, 2021

News Release: NREL Seeks Applications for 2022 Executive Energy Leadership Program

Energy Execs provides industry and community leaders an opportunity to learn about the latest advanced energy technologies, which will help guide their organizations in future energy-related decisions and planning.

Dec. 14, 2021

News Release: Researchers Publish First Comprehensive Building Stock Characterization Study for the United States

A new report and online dashboard by NREL is the first comprehensive characterization and segmentation of the U.S. building stock, providing a national typology of buildings.

Nov. 4, 2021

News Release: NREL's Kate Anderson Honored for Clean Energy Leadership

The U.S. Clean Energy Education & Empowerment (C3E) program has honored Kate Anderson of NREL for her leadership and achievement in the field of renewable energy.

Nov. 3, 2021

News Release: NREL Supports Department of Energy Launch of the New Net Zero World Initiative at COP26 To Accelerate Global Energy System Decarbonization

Countries committed to raising their climate ambitions will work across U.S. government and DOE's national laboratories to create and implement highly tailored, actionable, technology roadmaps and investment strategies for key countries that will put global net zero within reach.

Nov. 2, 2021

News Release: NREL Researchers Point Toward Energy Efficiency for Achieving 100% Renewable Grid

Incorporating energy efficiency measures can reduce the amount of storage needed to power the nation's buildings entirely with renewable energy, according to analysis conducted by researchers at NREL.

Oct. 28, 2021

News Release: New Data Set Quantifies How and When Energy Is Used Across All Major U.S. Building Types and Climate Regions

The data set released by NREL researchers, in collaboration with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Argonne National Laboratory, is critical for utility planners, regulators, state energy offices, researchers, and building owners to understand ways to best manage energy use.

Oct. 21, 2021

News Release: R&D 100 Awards Honor Two NREL Innovations

R&D World magazine today presented NREL with two of its annual R&D 100 Awards for research innovations.

Oct. 14, 2021

News Release: NREL, Mines Insight Could Lead to Better Silicon Solar Panels

Researchers at NREL and Colorado School of Mines are applying a new technique to identify defects in silicon solar cells that cause a drop in efficiency. The lessons learned at the atomic level could lead to improvements in the way manufacturers strengthen their products against what is known as light-induced degradation.

Sept. 29, 2021

News Release: NREL Pinpoints Method for Moving Larger Wind Turbine Blades Across Country

Researchers at NREL have determined how to transport massive wind turbine blades to parts of the country at a lower cost than segmented blades, but the solution will require some flexibility on the part of industry.

Sept. 9, 2021

News Release: DRINKing It in: Five Teams and Their Desalination Designs Earn a Spot in Final Stage of Waves to Water Prize Competition

This month, DOE and NREL officially announced the five teams that earned a spot in the fifth and final Waves to Water Prize competition stage, DRINK. Now, these five have 180 days to prepare their devices for an open-ocean trial at the Coastal Studies Institute in North Carolina in April 2022.

Sept. 7, 2021

News Release: NREL Launches Nonprofit Foundation To Fund Research, Scholarships

The NREL Foundation will bring in funding that otherwise would be unavailable to the laboratory and enable access to new sources of nonfederal funding. As donors contribute to the foundation, money will be aggregated and earmarked to fund specific research projects at NREL.

July 22, 2021

News Release: NREL Chooses Mortenson To Complete RAIL Facility

The 15,700-square-foot Research and Innovation Laboratory (RAIL) will provide multipurpose lab space for cross-disciplinary research at the intersection of chemistry, materials science, bioscience, and engineering in support of a breadth of energy efficiency and renewable energy research areas.

July 19, 2021

News Release: NREL Elevates Two to Prestigious Senior Research Fellow Roles

NREL elevated two principal scientists to the position of senior research fellow, Joseph Berry and Ingrid Repins, who, along with the current research fellows, will advise NREL executive management on the strategic direction of science and technology research and ensure NREL's work continues to meet the highest standards.

July 15, 2021

News Release: Analysis Shows Enzyme-Based Plastics Recycling Is More Energy Efficient, Better for Environment

Researchers in the BOTTLE Consortium, including from NREL and the University of Portsmouth, have identified using enzymes as a more sustainable approach for recycling polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a common plastic in single-use beverage bottles, clothing, and food packaging.

July 14, 2021

News Release: New NREL Report Details Current State and Vast Future Potential of U.S. Geothermal Power and Heat

A new publication from NREL showcases the current state of geothermal energy use in the United States and provides an outlook to a future where geothermal power and heat can play a key role in the national transition to a renewable, decarbonized energy system.

July 1, 2021

News Release: What To Do With Food Waste? Well, That Depends

The expected decline in the number of landfills across the United States coupled with bans on disposing large amounts of organic waste in landfills that have been enacted in multiple states has prompted researchers at NREL to examine other ways to grapple with the issue of food waste disposal.

June 21, 2021

News Release: NREL Names Meyer Seligman To Lead New Government Relations Office

NREL has named Meyer Seligman as director for Government Relations. In this new position for the laboratory, Seligman will be responsible for ensuring NREL stakeholders are informed on NREL's research to help advance the laboratory's mission.

June 17, 2021

News Release: NREL Announces Plans To Collaborate With Georgia Institute of Technology

NREL and the Georgia Institute of Technology have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to bolster the interactions, collaborations, and joint scientific output of both institutions.

May 17, 2021

News Release: Environmental Concerns Propel Research Into Marine Biofuels

A global effort to reduce sulfur and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from ships has researchers from NREL and other Department of Energy facilities investigating the potential use of marine biofuels.

May 5, 2021

News Release: NREL Announces Participants for 2021 Executive Energy Leadership Program

NREL selected 18 leaders to participate in its 2021 Executive Energy Leadership program, which provides nontechnical business, government, and community leaders an opportunity to learn about advanced energy technologies, analytical tools, and financing to guide their organizations and communities in energy-related planning.

May 4, 2021

News Release: NREL Announces Plans To Collaborate With UL Toward Commercialization of SolarAPP+ Automated Permitting Tool

NREL today announced a new initial memorandum of understanding with the global company UL to work toward further developing and commercializing the Solar Automated Permit Processing Plus (SolarAPP+) software that will automate the permitting process for residential solar systems.

April 28, 2021

News Release: Scientists at NREL Report New Synapse-Like Phototransistor

Researchers at NREL developed a breakthrough in energy-efficient phototransistors. Such devices could eventually help computers process visual information more like the human brain and be used as sensors in things like self-driving vehicles.

April 26, 2021

News Release: NREL Employees Pledge Record-Breaking Donations To Support Local Communities

In an annual giving campaign held virtually for the first time ever, employees of NREL along with its managing contractor, the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, pledged a record $616,000 to support local charities in Denver, Washington D.C., and Fairbanks, Alaska, all of which are home to NREL offices.

April 22, 2021

News Release: Proving Their Resilience, Five Cleantech Innovators Receive Awards at 2021 NREL Industry Growth Forum

Today, NREL recognized five top cleantech innovators as it wrapped up the 26th year of its NREL Industry Growth Forum (IGF). This year's IGF was the second all-virtual event and was a celebration of the enduring strength of cleantech innovators and the ecosystem that supports them.

April 21, 2021

News Release: New Consortium of Power System Operators and Technical Institutes Commits to Decarbonization Efforts Ahead of President Biden's Leaders' Climate Summit

Global effort announced by the U.S. secretary of energy, U.K. BEIS Department secretary of state, and CEOs of power system operators and organizations from around the world focuses on research, innovation, knowledge exchange, and technical assistance to achieve net-zero-emissions power systems.

April 19, 2021

News Release: Devising Wave-Powered Warning Systems: NREL Announces Winners of Ocean Observing Prize DESIGN Contest, Launch of BUILD Contest

NREL is proud to announce the seven winners of the DESIGN Contest, the first of three contests in the Ocean Observing Prize’s DEVELOP Competition, which aims to help protect coastal communities from dangerous storms by conceiving the development of autonomous, wave-powered hurricane monitoring systems.

April 8, 2021

NREL Announces Winners of the Groundbreaking Hydro Prize

Two winning teams claimed top honors in the Groundbreaking Hydro Prize with their creative concepts to help support hydropower's continued trajectory of growth.

March 24, 2021

News Release: Groundbreaking NREL Analysis Points to No-Regrets Pathways to Meet LA's Ambitious Clean Energy Goals

Unprecedented in scale and the first of its kind—the Los Angeles 100% Renewable Energy Study (LA100) provides insights into how the city can meet its clean energy targets. LADWP, the largest municipal utility in the country, currently generates more than half of its electricity from renewable and zero-carbon resources.

March 12, 2021

News Release: New Perovskite LED Emits a Spin-Polarized Glow

The inclusion of a special new perovskite layer has enabled scientists to create a "spin-polarized LED" without needing a magnetic field or extremely low temperatures, potentially clearing the path to a raft of novel technologies.

March 4, 2021

News Release: NREL Industry Growth Forum Announces 2021 Presenting Start-Ups from Around the World

Forty companies have been selected to participate in the NREL Industry Growth Forum, which will be held virtually again this year. More than 150 companies applied for the chance to present their cleantech innovations to potential investors and engaged industry experts at the 26th annual event.

Feb. 22, 2021

News Release: Groundbreaking Research into White-Rot Fungi Proves Its Value in Carbon Sequestration from Lignin

A foundational study conducted by scientists at NREL shows for the first time that white-rot fungi are able to use carbon captured from lignin as a carbon source.

Feb. 11, 2021

News Release: NREL Heats Up Thermal Energy Storage with New Solution Meant To Ease Grid Stress, Ultimately Improving Energy Efficiency

Scientists from NREL have developed a simple way to better evaluate the potential of novel materials to store or release heat on demand in your home, office, or other building in a way that more efficiently manages the building's energy use.

Feb. 9, 2021

News Release: From Saltwater to Drinking Water: NREL Announces 10 Winners of the Waves to Water Prize ADAPT Stage; Launch of CREATE Stage

NREL revealed 10 winners of the third stage of the Waves to Water Prize. These teams will walk away with a cash prize and an invitation to advance to the next stage of the prize, CREATE, where they will bring these ideas to life with proofs of concepts and prototyping of their novel wave-energy-powered desalination systems.

Jan. 21, 2021

News Release: NREL Reports Sustainability Benchmarks for Plastics Recycling and Redesign

Researchers developing renewable plastics and exploring new processes for plastics upcycling and recycling technologies will now be able to easily baseline their efforts to current manufacturing practices to understand if their efforts will save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

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