Solar Research News
Explore our archive of solar news stories.
Dec. 28, 2021
NREL researchers and staff reached countless goals and achieved numerous successes in science, partnerships, and technology commercialization in 2021. Here are just a few of the highlights.
Dec. 20, 2021
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. 17, 2021
Today, the U.S. Department of Energy Solar District Cup Collegiate Design Competition announced that 35 teams from 39 schools are advancing as finalists in the Class of 2021–2022 program.
Dec. 17, 2021
Scientists at NREL have experimentally synthesized a nitride perovskite that previously only existed in theory and measured its properties in collaboration with researchers at the Colorado School of Mines.
Dec. 9, 2021
New research finds referral are pivotal to solar adoption in underserved California communities, opening the door to equity in the energy transition.
Dec. 9, 2021
Throughout the past three years, NREL has partnered with Antora Energy and MIT to engage in two separate projects in thermophotovoltaic (TPV) technology that have both led to record efficiencies of more than 35%--a very competitive level of performance.
Dec. 8, 2021
A paper co-authored by NREL researchers and others studies the success of the Energy Materials Network Data Hub—a secure, customizable scientific data sharing platform.
Dec. 7, 2021
DOE selected 40 semifinalists from 16 states to advance to the next contest in the American-Made Solar Prize Round 5, a competition designed to spark U.S. solar energy innovation. Round 5 has two tracks—one for hardware and another for software—allowing even more innovators and entrepreneurs to compete.
Dec. 7, 2021
NREL’s solar permitting tool “busts through bureaucracy” to fast-track residential solar projects and expands into energy storage permitting.
Dec. 7, 2021
Scientists at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory have laid out a cost-effective five-point plan to improve the reliability of solar panels in light of extreme weather, rapid innovation, and extremely competitive prices.
Nov. 29, 2021
Researchers at NREL and affiliated institutions across the country have bolstered the efficiency of perovskite solar cells by as much as 16%.
Nov. 16, 2021
Largest 100% clean energy microgrid within U.S. Department of Defense supports island community, Pacific Missile Range facility, KIUC, and Hawaii's ambitious renewable energy goals.
Nov. 15, 2021
Since joining NREL in 2012, Janna Martinek has developed a reputation across the laboratory as a leader in numerical modeling and related engineering. She is also known as someone who can handle any problem that is thrown her way—no matter how complex.
Nov. 12, 2021
NREL has released its annual cost breakdown of installed solar photovoltaic (PV) and battery storage systems. U.S. Solar Photovoltaic System and Energy Storage Cost Benchmark: Q1 2021 details installed costs for PV systems as of the first quarter of 2021.
Nov. 10, 2021
On Sept. 16, DOE announced the winners of the fourth round of the Solar Prize. AeroShield Materials from Boston, Massachusetts, and the r&d lab from Petaluma, California, each received $500,000 to continue developing and commercializing their products and an additional $75,000 in vouchers redeemable for technical support.
Oct. 28, 2021
New prize seeks to accelerate the development of solar forecasting capabilities.
Oct. 28, 2021
Scientists at NREL and Northern Illinois University have successfully prevented lead from escaping damaged perovskite solar cells. The research effort is their latest work in addressing concerns about potential lead toxicity.
Oct. 22, 2021
NREL researchers are not only skilled at making photovoltaic (PV) cells and modules. They are also world-class destroyers of PV modules. The goal is to discover and understand how these modules might degrade when installed outside for many decades. This helps other NREL researchers and engineers in the PV industry design better, longer-lasting modules.
Oct. 20, 2021
Oct. 28 teaming webinar offers potential partners the opportunity to learn about winning concepts and network with quarterfinalists.
Oct. 19, 2021
New market report shows which states are leading growth in community solar.
Oct. 14, 2021
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
The infrastructure that defines the U.S. electric grid is based largely on pre-digital technologies and is now faced with increasingly difficult load and power quality demands. New tools are required to create a flexible and modern electric grid and the next generation of renewable energy professionals are here to help.
Sept. 15, 2021
By 2050, there could be 80 million metric tons globally of solar photovoltaics (PV) reaching the end of their lifetime, with 10 million metric tons in the United States alone—or the weight of 30 Empire State Buildings.
Sept. 10, 2021
A 24-acre family farm purchased by Jack Stingerie in 1972 has now evolved into a model for how to produce energy and food in tandem. Multiple agrivoltaics activities including crop production, pollinator habitat, ecosystem services, and pasture grass for grazing are being researched across Jack's Solar Garden in Longmont, Colorado.
Aug. 27, 2021
The latest collaboration between NREL and NASA will evaluate the potential use of perovskite solar cells in space and assess the durability of materials used in those cells.
Aug. 26, 2021
One of the challenges of aggregating solar energy data from different sources into studies is knowing whether the data uses consistent assumptions. The Annual Technology Baseline (ATB) resolves this challenge by creating consistent assumptions for all electric generation technologies cost and performance data, including solar.
July 30, 2021
NREL is developing and validating multi-timescale tools that will bring Maui and other systems closer to 100% clean and stable energy futures.
July 19, 2021
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
NREL and First Solar Inc. have been collaboratively breaking ground on thin film solar technology for more than two decades, helping NREL fulfill its goal as a DOE national laboratory of commercializing technology through partnerships, and contributing to First Solar's success in development, manufacturing, and operation of photovoltaic (PV) power plants with technology that still bucks industry trends.
July 14, 2021
DOE's Solar Energy Technologies Office announced $20 million for the Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) Photovoltaic (PV) Accelerator Consortium Solicitation to formalize the leadership of a consortium that will identify the technology development priorities to impact the entire domestic CdTe supply chain.
June 24, 2021
Multiyear analysis shows that increasing electricity trade between countries and expanding interregional transmission can support a reliable future power system.
June 8, 2021
Puzzling out and testing new ways to improve the efficiency of cadmium telluride (CdTe) polycrystalline thin-film photovoltaic materials is a typical day in the life of NREL research scientists Matthew Reese and Craig Perkins. Like any good puzzlers, they bring curiosity and keen observation to the task.
June 3, 2021
NREL was granted 40 U.S. patents during fiscal 2020, a bump from the 32 issued during the prior fiscal year.
May 4, 2021
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
A new NREL study uncovers counterintuitive relationship between flexibility options and curtailment in power systems with high solar penetration.
April 21, 2021
NREL will bring cross-cutting technical assistance to remote and island communities seeking resilient energy solutions as part of the DOE-funded, multi-lab, multi-partner Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Project (ETIPP).
April 21, 2021
New funding for perovskites is considered a significant step toward metal halide perovskite PV commercialization.
April 20, 2021
One of the three key pillars of NREL's vision for the next decade is developing a circular economy for energy materials. This critical objective focuses on reducing waste and preserving resources through the design and manufacture of materials and products with reuse, recycling, and upcycling in mind from the start.
April 9, 2021
On April 9, 2021, the U.S. Department of Energy announced 10 finalist teams that are moving forward in the American-Made Solar Prize Round 4 competition.
April 2, 2021
In a series of three reports, NREL analysts examine options and opportunities to repair, reuse, or recycle solar photovoltaic system materials, moving toward a circular economy.
April 1, 2021
The accumulation of dust, soot, or other particulates causes a drop in the efficiency of solar panels, which translates to a decline in the amount of power produced and lost income for their operators.
March 26, 2021
As part of NREL's InSPIRE Project, NREL senior analyst Jordan Macknick helped dream up a LEGO solar farm design to educate about energy, water, and food.
March 16, 2021
The new architecture for the cells increases the area exposed to the sun by putting the metal contact layers side by side on the back of the cell.
March 12, 2021
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 8, 2021
In partnership with the solar industry, NREL recently developed Solar TRACE, an online tool to increase transparency into PII processes, requirements, and overall adoption cycle times nationwide.
Feb. 16, 2021
NREL has released a no-cost resource for cities and counties across the country to streamline distributed solar installation: SolarAPP (Solar Automated Permit Processing).
Feb. 10, 2021
NREL marks ongoing cost reductions for installed photovoltaic (PV) systems, while also establishing benchmark of PV-plus-storage systems.
Feb. 9, 2021
Holistic strategy optimizes electronic structure and morphology, opening a new route to higher-efficiency organic photovoltaic devices.
Jan. 29, 2021
As part of a multistate collaboration, NREL has modeled and assessed long-term reliability and integration impacts of solar PV growth in the western United States, with broader lessons for power grids and renewable policies.
Jan. 12, 2021
In the 43 years since, the Solar Energy Research Institute—now known as NREL—has been a driving force in the development of solar photovoltaic (PV) energy. A new video shows why NREL researchers envision a future where PV is everywhere.
Jan. 8, 2021
The sun has set on another round of the American-Made Solar Prize, awarding two new solar startups for their innovations.
