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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November 2021
Nov. 1, 2021
NREL Explores Innovative Manufacturing Approach for Next-Generation Wind Turbine Blades
Wind turbine blades might look elegant, even ballet-like, as they glide through the air. But, much like ballet, achieving that simple grace requires complex, advanced engineering. NREL researchers are revolutionizing wind turbine blade manufacturing by combining recyclable thermoplastics and additive manufacturing.
October 2021
Oct. 29, 2021
Q&A With Jon White: Achieving Security by Design
NREL's Cybersecurity Program Director Jon White shares his own path into the field and the laboratory's strategy for deploying technologies that stay one step ahead of adversaries.
Oct. 29, 2021
New Hydropower Report Identifies Opportunities To Reform the Licensing Process
A national laboratories report, titled "An Examination of the Hydropower Licensing and Federal Authorization Process," identifies what factors can add time, cost, or risk when earning a hydropower license so decisionmakers can streamline the process and create carbon-free energy.
Oct. 28, 2021
Large-Scale Experiments Demonstrate Advanced Controls for Autonomous Energy Systems
In a breakthrough for the autonomous energy systems research program, NREL has demonstrated new methods for optimizing more than 1 million distributed energy resources with autonomous controls. The updated approach cuts the computation time by more than tenfold, enabling real-time distribution system optimization for economics and stability in high-renewable power systems.
Oct. 28, 2021
American-Made Challenges Announces Launch of Solar Forecasting Prize, Puts up $375K in Winnings
New prize seeks to accelerate the development of solar forecasting capabilities.
Oct. 28, 2021
Researchers Discover Another Way To Sequester Lead in Perovskite Solar Cells
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. 28, 2021
News Release: New Data Set Quantifies How and When Energy Is Used Across All Major U.S. Building Types and Climate Regions
The data set released by NREL researchers, in collaboration with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Argonne National Laboratory, is critical for utility planners, regulators, state energy offices, researchers, and building owners to understand ways to best manage energy use.
Oct. 27, 2021
NREL Celebrates 45 Years of Energy Burden Relief for Low-Income Families in Weatherization Program
A favorite sweater, an open window, or a simple press of a button are all it takes for some of us to enjoy the perfect temperature in our homes. But many low-income households are battling their thermostat and struggling with their electric bill—paying a high price for energy-inefficient homes they have no control over.
Oct. 27, 2021
NREL Research Supports Equitable Deployment of Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure
Electric vehicles have surged in popularity during recent years as car companies continue to bring new models to market. Reaping the benefits relies on having somewhere to charge that is convenient, affordable, and reliable. A new NREL report sheds light on the potential for residential charging access.
Oct. 27, 2021
Electric Vehicle Charging at Retail Locations Offers Convenience, Building Integration Opportunities
A new study from NREL compares load profiles from potential EV charging stations against those of big-box retail grocery stores to assess how the electricity demands of specific sites may change by adding EV charging.
Oct. 26, 2021
Nothing To Fear for High-Renewable Systems: NREL Shows Scalable, Resilient, and Secure Systems With Communication-Less Controls
NREL has shown that relatively simple controls can enable power grids to operate with 100% wind, solar, and storage, without the need for dedicated device-to-device communications.
Oct. 26, 2021
Turning the Tide for Renewables in Alaska
NREL is leading a multi-laboratory team to deploy three underwater moorings to collect data in Cook Inlet, a highly energetic corner of the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Alaska.
Oct. 22, 2021
NREL Drops the Bass on Solar Panels (for Science)
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. 22, 2021
Connecting the Dots To Enhance Energy Efficiency, Workforce, and Low-Carbon Buildings
A true living laboratory, NREL added a small but noticeable splash of color to its cafeteria building. Five quantum dot windows were installed this summer as a demonstration project evaluating innovative windows technologies, in collaboration with UbiQD and the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator program.
Oct. 21, 2021
News Release: R&D 100 Awards Honor Two NREL Innovations
R&D World magazine today presented NREL with two of its annual R&D 100 Awards for research innovations.
Oct. 20, 2021
Energy Storage Ecosystem Offers Lowest-Cost Path to 100% Renewable Power
As states reach higher toward 100% renewable operation, energy storage will be key to enabling a more variable power supply. But no single technology will be a silver bullet for all our energy storage needs.
Oct. 20, 2021
With NREL's Feedstock Research, Algae and Garbage Could Be Ingredients for Zero-Emissions Fuels of the Future
In theory, over 1 billion tons of biomass could be sustainably collected and processed into biofuels by 2030 in the United States, according to U.S. Department of Energy analysis.
Oct. 20, 2021
Solar Desalination Prize Round 2 Quarterfinalists Get To Work Building Teams
Oct. 28 teaming webinar offers potential partners the opportunity to learn about winning concepts and network with quarterfinalists.
Oct. 20, 2021
Three Bio-Based Innovations Edge Closer to Market With Private-Public Funding
A more sustainable farming sector, lower industrial emissions, more efficient biochemical production—NREL scientists and industry partners expect sizable benefits from three new projects to commercialize bioinsecticides, enzymatic carbon dioxide (CO2) utilization, and cell-free biocatalysis.
Oct. 20, 2021
NREL Caps Off a Year of Accomplishments With National Bioenergy Day
On October 20, NREL will join organizations and individuals nationwide in celebrating the ninth annual Bioenergy Day. The day commemorates advancements in the use of biomass to produce energy from sustainable resources such as farm, forestry, and other plant waste.
Oct. 19, 2021
Modeling a Future for Sustainable Energy Storage
As manager of the Mobility Infrastructure and Impacts Analysis (MIIA) group, NREL's Maggie Mann will be the first to tell you that electric vehicles (EVs) alone are not a perfect solution to achieve sustainability within the transportation industry.
Oct. 19, 2021
NREL Enables Affordable Housing by Expanding Beyond Energy Efficiency
NREL has historically worked on buildings' energy efficiency, which lowers operational energy costs—electricity and natural gas usage, for example. Now, it is expanding on some of its net-zero buildings experience to look more closely at construction processes, advanced materials, and novel business practices related to energy equity.
Oct. 19, 2021
New NREL Partnership Is Nothing To Bawk At
NREL is partnering with the USDA-Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) to design, build, and evaluate energy use models to increase energy efficiency in broiler houses.
Oct. 19, 2021
Sharing the Sun Market Report Details Expansive Growth, Recent Trends in Community Solar
New market report shows which states are leading growth in community solar.
Oct. 18, 2021
Where the East Meets the West: Interconnections Seam Study Shows Value in Joining U.S. Transmission Grids
A novel multi-model analysis led by NREL explores the benefits and costs of uniting two of the world’s largest power systems.
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