NREL Conduit Blog

The NREL Conduit Blog discusses research relevant to state, local, and tribal governments. Contributing authors provide posts related to events, policy analysis, and decision support outcomes to inform the market in a credible and timely fashion.

Kauai Partners With NREL to Explore Sustainable Transportation Options

March 5, 2024 by Sarah Meehan

At any given time, Kauai typically has about 20,000 to 30,000 visitors—about one for every three residents—on the island.

Makah Tribe Partners with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to Pursue Energy Sovereignty

March 5, 2024 by Sarah Meehan

Situated at the northwestern tip of Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, the Makah Tribe frequently experiences power outages that last from multiple hours to several days.

Aquinnah and Chilmark Work With Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Toward Resilient Energy Systems on Martha's Vineyard

March 5, 2024 by Brooke Van Zandt

Aquinnah and Chilmark are two towns on the island of Martha’s Vineyard off the coast of Massachusetts.

Guam Utility Works With Sandia National Laboratories to Achieve 50% Renewable Energy by 2040

March 5, 2024 by Brooke Van Zandt

Like many utilities, Guam Power Authority's (GPA’s) challenge is to balance affordability, reliability, resilience, modernization, and security in a transitioning energy landscape.

Guidebook Explores Regulatory Barriers and Potential Solutions for Tribal Solar Projects

June 16, 2023 by Laura Beshilas

Tribal land holds more that 5% of the solar photovoltaic potential in the United States, according to a 2013 report by NREL.

NREL Supports Alaska Utility Amid Coal Plant Retirement Through Communities to Clean Energy Program

Jan. 17, 2023

In early December 2022, a snowstorm hit Fairbanks, Alaska, blanketing the city of around 32,000 people in six inches of snow and dumping even more on the surrounding hillsides.

Meet the State, Local, and Tribal Program Team: Kevin McCabe

Oct. 31, 2022 by Kerrin Jeromin

In this blog, meet Kevin McCabe, a clean energy researcher who serves as the lead for NREL’s tribal energy activities.

New Report Provides Highlights of the State, Local, and Tribal Program Accomplishments in Fiscal Year 2021

Dec. 9, 2021 by Brooke Van Zandt, Kerrin Jeromin

If NREL had to “show-and-tell” the human impacts of its work today, what would stand out? The State, Local, and Tribal Program (SLT) team’s fiscal year (FY) 2021 accomplishments would.

How Is Solar PV Performing in Hurricane-struck Locations?

Oct. 24, 2017 by Eliza Hotchkiss

The ongoing 2017 Atlantic hurricane season has already been the most active since 2005. Hurricane Harvey, classified as a Category 4 storm, made landfall on the Texas Gulf Coast on August 25th with winds topping 130 mph and inundating the City of Houston with over 50 inches of rain in some areas, claiming upwards of 30 lives. Seventy percent of surrounding Harris County was covered with more than a foot of water, which flooded roughly 136,000 buildings. 

Solar Energy Improving Resiliency: A Look at California During a Historical Drought

Aug. 19, 2015 by Alexandra Aznar

In February, the Solar STAT blog featured a post on 2012’s Hurricane Sandy and  how solar PV can support disaster resiliency . Extreme weather events are not limited to hurricanes, of course. Others, like California’s ongoing drought, pose additional challenges for electricity generators but also demonstrate an emerging role for solar energy.


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