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.
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October 2015
Oct. 7, 2015
NREL Seeks to Optimize Individual Comfort in Buildings
Pioneering buildings research uses NREL's new Comfort Suite to enable comfort-driven energy conservation.
Oct. 2, 2015
News Release: NREL Fills Leadership Role at Wind Technology Center
Dr. Daniel Laird will join the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory on Oct. 12 as director of the National Wind Technology Center (NWTC), the country’s premier wind energy technology research facility.
Oct. 1, 2015
NREL Evaluates Performance of Hydraulic Hybrid Refuse Vehicles
NREL is evaluating the in-service performance of hydraulic hybrid vehicles and comparable conventional diesel vehicles operated by Miami-Dade County's Public Works and Waste Management Department in Florida.
Oct. 1, 2015
NREL Leading DOE's Lab-Corps Pilot, Bringing Entrepreneurial Concepts to Lab Researchers
NREL is leading program efforts in support of the $2.3 million Lab-Corps pilot program, helping 14 entrepreneurial teams from eight U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national labs identify private sector opportunities for commercializing promising sustainable transportation, renewable power, and energy efficiency technologies.
September 2015
Sept. 29, 2015
NREL Assesses Costs of Adding New Generation to Existing Power Systems
New study uses a quantitative approach to characterize the integration-related costs of making changes to an existing grid.
Sept. 23, 2015
News Release: Small Businesses Invited to Participate in DOE National Lab Vouchers Pilot
Small businesses in the clean energy sector are invited to apply for assistance from the Energy Department’s national laboratories through the department’s new Small Business Vouchers Pilot.
Sept. 15, 2015
NREL Collaborates with Trucking Industry to Prioritize R&D Opportunities
Semi-automated truck platooning is just one of the many advances being tested and analyzed.
Sept. 11, 2015
News Release: NREL Signs Agreement With China’s National Utility
Representatives of the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and China’s State Grid Energy Research Institute today signed a first-ever memorandum of understanding between the two organizations.
Sept. 8, 2015
News Release: NREL Industry Growth Forum Attracts Clean Energy Startups and Investors
Thirty clean energy companies will present their business cases to a panel of investors and industry experts Nov. 3 and 4 in Denver, Colorado, as the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) hosts its annual Industry Growth Forum.
Sept. 3, 2015
Vision for NREL Technology Has Entrepreneur Seeing Clearly
Company formed to capitalize on electrochromic window research.
August 2015
Aug. 31, 2015
News Release: Wirth Chair Honors NREL’s Dan Arvizu
Dr. Dan E. Arvizu was honored at the 16th annual Wirth Chair Sustainability Awards Luncheon in Denver today for his longtime leadership at the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The longest-serving director and chief executive in the research organization’s history, Arvizu is retiring after 10 years at its helm.
Aug. 24, 2015
NREL-Statoil Collaborate to Make the First Multi-Turbine Floating Offshore Array a Reality
A recent study performed by the National Wind Technology Center at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory is helping Norway-based Statoil prepare for the installation of what may be the world’s first multi-turbine floating offshore array.
Aug. 20, 2015
News Release: IT Industry’s Renewable Energy Procurement is Significant, Set to Climb
The percentage of renewable electricity purchased by U.S. companies in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector is growing and will likely increase significantly by the start of the next decade, according to a first-ever analysis by the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).
Aug. 19, 2015
NREL Helps Federal Agencies Reach New Efficiency Targets
Recent executive order puts increased importance on NREL’s expertise.
Aug. 17, 2015
NREL Leads Effort to Get Traffic Moving in the Right Direction
NREL will serve as the lead organization in developing a tool travelers and transportation officials can use in helping guide people through a city in the most energy-efficient way possible.
Aug. 17, 2015
News Release: NREL Leads Effort to Get Traffic Moving in Right Direction
The Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) will serve as the lead organization in developing a tool travelers and transportation officials can use in helping guide people through a city in the most energy-efficient way possible.
Aug. 13, 2015
ESIF 2015 Mid-Year Report Highlights Facility's Latest Successes
The ESIF 2015 Mid-Year Report provides an overview of recent work at the Energy Systems Integration Facility from October 2014 to March 2015.
Aug. 12, 2015
NREL Leads Working Group to Standardize Testing for “Smart” Solar Inverters
Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative, NREL energy systems integration researchers led the working group for the recently passed IEEE amendment 1547.1a, which standardizes testing protocols and procedures for three advanced solar inverter functionalities.
Aug. 11, 2015
New Wind Resource Maps Reach Higher Heights
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory and AWS Truepower LLC recently released maps that illustrate the potential for wind energy development using more advanced wind turbine technologies.
Aug. 11, 2015
NREL and Clemson University Put Wind Turbine Drivetrains to the Test
Through a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA), two of our nation’s most advanced wind energy research and test facilities—the National Wind Technology Center at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Clemson University—have joined forces to help the wind energy industry improve wind turbine drivetrains and integrate turbines with the electric grid.
Aug. 10, 2015
News Release: NREL’s Bobi Garrett Named Top Industry Executive
Bobi Garrett, deputy laboratory director for strategic programs and partnerships at the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), was recognized by the Denver Business Journal as one of the region’s top female executives in the energy industry.
Aug. 10, 2015
NWTC Researchers Recognized for Technology Transfer Excellence
Two research teams at the National Wind Technology Center at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) recently received NREL Technology Transfer Awards: one for the development of the Simulator fOr Wind Farm Applications and a second for their work with Siemens on blade aerodynamics. A third team received a patent award for their approach to wind turbine blade testing using base excitation. These awards recognize individuals who have shown exceptional personal initiative in helping transfer NREL technology and developments to the private sector through impactful partnering, licensing, and product release activity.
Aug. 10, 2015
NREL to Play Pivotal Role in White House Initiative to Bolster America’s Manufacturing Future
The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Wind Technology Center at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is now part of a multimillion-dollar White House initiative known as the National Network of Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI), which was created to foster emerging technologies that will produce high-quality manufacturing jobs and enhance America’s global competitiveness. Specifically, NREL will be leading the Wind Turbine Technology Area of NNMI’s latest addition, the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation.
Aug. 10, 2015
New Study Reveals Potential 30% Penetration of Wind and Solar for the Eastern Interconnection
Using high-performance computing capabilities and new methodologies to model operations of the Eastern Interconnection—arguably the largest power system in the world—at unprecedented fidelity, NREL found that the power system can reliably support up to 30% penetration of wind and solar power.
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