News and Feature Stories
The following news stories take an in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at how NREL is advancing energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies.
Subscribe
Stay connected with the latest news and research breakthroughs from NREL.
June 2024
June 28, 2024
NREL Explores Path To Increase Occupant Safety During Extreme Weather
Bitter cold temperatures. Unrelenting heat. Power outages that last for weeks. NREL researchers are planning for extreme weather by calculating what it will take to make the situation survivable.
June 28, 2024
A Five-Step Plan To Support Smooth Transitions in the Hydropower Workforce
With a new resource developed by NREL, hydropower organizations can better prepare for worker turnover and limit knowledge loss along the way.
June 27, 2024
NREL Partners With Industry Leaders To Prove Out Grid Integration Solutions
The U.S. Department of Energy has selected two new projects to benefit from a premier grid control evaluation capability at NREL.
June 27, 2024
NREL Small Business Commitment Spotlights US Department of Energy Program Success
Each year over 50% of all NREL subcontracts, approximately $60–$75 million, are awarded to small businesses.
June 26, 2024
Bridging the Solar Energy Gap Through Federal Assistance Programs
The number of residential solar photovoltaics installations continues to increase across the United States. But that increase is slower for low-income households, who made up 23% of solar adopters as of 2022.
June 26, 2024
International Solar Energy Leaders, Researchers Discuss Growing Role in World Energy and Shared Challenges for the Future at 4th Multiterawatt Workshop
Approximately 70 researchers from 14 countries gathered in California earlier this month to discuss the progress toward deploying multiple terawatts of solar power around the globe to transition to a sustainable energy system.
June 26, 2024
Electric Vehicles Grow in the Desert: Peer Learning Helps Sedona Plan for Charging Infrastructure
Seeking ways to build EV charging capacity, Sedona, Arizona participated in a peer-learning cohort through the U.S. Department of Energy's Clean Energy to Communities (C2C) program focused on planning and funding strategies for EV charging infrastructure deployment.
June 25, 2024
Plug Into Newly Released 2024 US Electricity Sector Data
The 2024 Electricity Annual Technology Baseline provides updated, easy-to-use data on the cost and performance of electricity generation technologies in the United States.
June 24, 2024
IN² at 10 Years: Cohort 1 Flow-Battery Creator Has the Power
Ten years ago, NREL researcher Shanti Pless suggested flow-battery company ESS Inc. apply to the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator and championed it through the process.
June 24, 2024
Juggling Motion: Jason Jonkman's Exploration of Movement Helped Him Become a Floating Wind Energy Expert
An interest in juggling paved the way for Jason Jonkman's offshore wind research and allowed him to become one of NREL's 2024 Distinguished Researchers.
June 20, 2024
How To Power the South Pole With Renewable Energy Technologies
From research to life in the Antarctica research stations, diesel fuel provides almost all of the necessary power. The fuel is shipped to Antarctica and either flown or trucked to the South Pole, an expensive proposition that could be greatly reduced using wind and solar.
June 18, 2024
Behind the Blades: How Lanaia Carveth Keeps the Gears Turning
Lanaia Carveth transitioned from a career as a consultant in the construction industry doing environmental planning, permitting, regulatory compliance, and project management to her current role as a project manager at NREL's National Wind Technology Center.
June 18, 2024
LA100 Equity Strategies Receives National Recognition for Excellence in Energy Justice
NREL research is helping communities of all sizes lead the way to a just energy transition—including the second-largest city in the nation.
June 17, 2024
Beneath the Surface: How a High School Essay Steered Tina Ortega Toward a Career in Marine Energy
Tina Ortega's connection to and reverence for the natural world inspired her to seek out a career that would help protect the environment.
June 17, 2024
EVI-X Modeling Suite Accelerates Optimized Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Deployments
Massive public and private investments are being made to support the buildout of electric vehicle charging infrastructure in the United States, but efficient planning and deployment require sophisticated analysis to ensure convenient, reliable, affordable, and equitable charging for all Americans.
June 14, 2024
DOE Recognizes NREL Hydrogen Researchers at 2024 Annual Merit Review Awards
The U.S. Department of Energy Hydrogen Program honored five NREL researchers for their outstanding achievements at the 2024 Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Meeting.
June 12, 2024
On the Road to Increased Transmission: High-Voltage Direct Current
Building more high-voltage direct current transmission lines could better connect solar and wind energy to the U.S. grid.
June 12, 2024
'Moderate' Is the New 'Extreme': Weather's Impact on Growing Renewable Grid Operations
Shifting our perception of extreme weather could support planning a reliable future grid.
June 12, 2024
Q&A With Ana Aday: A Holistic Approach To Advancing Cement and Concrete Sustainability
Ana Aday, a materials science researcher in NREL’s Building Technologies and Science Center, is taking on a whole new challenge: decarbonizing the cement and concrete industry.
June 12, 2024
Safe and Fast Permitting Using NREL's SolarAPP+ Continued To Grow Throughout 2023
The SolarAPP+ automated online permitting platform instantly issues a permit for residential solar PV or PV-plus-storage systems if they pass an automated code compliance check, saving valuable time for local governments and solar contractors. In 2023, the platform continued to grow nationwide.
June 11, 2024
Next-Generation Profiles Project Makes Electric Vehicle High-Power Charging Safer and More Reliable
Electric vehicles that use high-power charging are quickly becoming the new standard—understanding the grid impacts of high-power charging will ensure inter-grid reliability and keep charging costs low.
June 11, 2024
How NREL Researchers Are Catalyzing Change for Our Ocean and Climate
Take a closer look at how NREL is meeting some of the biggest challenges set out for National Ocean Month.
June 10, 2024
Geothermal Collegiate Competition Winners Partner With Osage Nation To Address Energy Sovereignty
The University of Oklahoma won the 2023 Technical Track with their design for sustainable greenhouse heating and cooling using geothermal energy.
June 10, 2024
Advanced Spin Resonance Facility Accelerates Fundamental Understanding of Catalytic Mechanisms and Structural Characterization at Level of Electrons
Realizing the need and opportunity to probe deeper into the mysteries of the chemical reactions that sustain photosynthesis and enable light-driven ammonia production and hydrogen catalysis, NREL formed the Advanced Spin Resonance Facility.
June 10, 2024
Zero Energy Design Designation Sets Collegiate Building Science Programs Apart
Apply by June 28, 2024, to have your program recognized by the U.S. Department of Energy.
Share
