Solar Newsletter—April 2021

Catch up on NREL’s more than 40-year history of PV research and development, including work on silicon, copper indium gallium diselenide, cadmium telluride, III-V, and perovskite solar cells. And get a glimpse of where NREL is headed next.

An NREL team has completed a multi-year, first-of-its-kind study that considers how Los Angeles can achieve a 100% renewable future. Informed by more than 100 million simulations—including modeling of distributed PV adoption—the study presents several feasible pathways.

The Western Interconnection distributes power from Canada to Baja California. A new series of NREL reports detail how this continent-spanning grid can continue to add solar energy generation while maintaining reliable delivery of power.

NREL and a team of solar developers, governments, and code officials developed a new no-cost, no-touch software system to streamline residential rooftop solar permits. Learn more about SolarAPP's early successes and consider signing up to pilot it.

Microgrids may be a cornerstone of future energy systems. With funding from the Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office, NREL is pursuing multiple projects to develop and demonstrate microgrid technologies. From North Carolina to Colorado, read more about this work.