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.
July 2023
July 19, 2023
NREL Puts Sound Waves to Test in Making Solar Cells Cheaper
Sound waves could play a part in making III-V solar cells more affordable for earth-bound applications, according to newly published research led by scientists at NREL.
July 18, 2023
Full Speed Ahead: Modeling a Faster Future for Lithium-Ion Batteries
From race car drivers to battery engineers, human nature drives us to push the boundaries of speed, performance, and efficiency in pursuit of excellence. Researchers are applying this determination and focus to optimize lithium-ion batteries for faster electric vehicle charging.
July 18, 2023
Former Tax Fraud Investigator Manajit Sengupta Thinks Big as a Distinguished Researcher
Distinguished Researcher Manajit Sengupta leads Solar Measurement and Modeling at NREL, and his group maintains expertise in solar and atmospheric resource measurement, modeling, and forecasting for renewable energy applications.
July 17, 2023
Quantum Computers Can Now Interface With Power Grid Equipment
The power system is so complex that even supercomputers struggle to efficiently solve certain optimization problems. But quantum computers might fare better, and now researchers can explore that prospect thanks to a software interface between quantum computers and grid equipment.
July 17, 2023
News Release: Bifacial Perovskite Solar Cells Point to Higher Efficiency
A bifacial perovskite solar cell, which allows sunlight to reach both sides of the device, holds the potential to produce higher energy yields at lower overall costs, according to scientists at NREL.
July 14, 2023
Distinguished Researcher Birdie Carpenter Sets Sail After Naval Career
Alberta (Birdie) Carpenter, one of seven newly named NREL Distinguished Researchers, enjoys science but also embraces unexpected opportunities.
July 13, 2023
NREL Partners With Black Farmers' Collaborative To Plan Solar Panels for Florida Farms and Churches
Researchers at NREL worked with Black farmers and residents in North and Central Florida to understand how to design agrivoltaics for a farm and solar panels for houses of worship.
July 12, 2023
New Prize To Propel Wind Turbine Materials Recycling
The newly launched Wind Turbine Materials Recycling Prize, a $5.1 million competition administered by NREL, aims to help the country develop a cost-effective and sustainable domestic recycling industry for two high-impact categories of wind turbine materials to create a circular U.S. wind energy economy.
July 11, 2023
Q&A With Samantha Reese: The Fix-It Engineer Who Digs Up Data To Fix the Planet
In this Manufacturing Masterminds Q&A, Sam Reese shares how she ended up traveling around the world and how she is sharing her fix-it mindset with her kids.
July 5, 2023
Floating Photovoltaics Emerge as a Promising Solution for Southeast Asia's Clean Energy Future
The USAID-NREL Partnership's Advanced Energy Partnership for Asia pioneered a first-of-its-kind floating photovoltaic assessment for Southeast Asia, accompanied by a publicly available data set in the Renewable Energy (RE) Data Explorer.
July 3, 2023
Small But Mighty: Electric Bicycles Can Bridge the Gap in Access to Transportation
As electric bicycle sales continue to outpace electric car sales, programs across the nation are turning to NREL's Open Platform for Agile Trip Heuristics (NREL OpenPATH) tool to inform incentive programs for electric bicycles.
June 2023
June 30, 2023
Power Electronics Workshop Invites Industry To Collaborate Around Grid Stability Challenges
Growth in renewable energy has initiated an era of power electronics for the grid, and engineers are grappling with the change.
June 30, 2023
Opportunity for Chemicals and Fuels From Carbon Dioxide: Researchers Assess Roadblocks for Industrial Deployment of CO2 Electrolysis
Zero-emission energy systems have a gigaton-sized challenge: Waste carbon dioxide (CO2) will continue to flow into the atmosphere as long as steel, cement, and chemical plants exist.
June 30, 2023
Department of Energy's ZEDD Program Recognizes Institutions Preparing the Next Generation's Zero-Energy Workforce
DOE's Zero Energy Design Designation (ZEDD) recognizes college programs that are committed to zero-energy education. There's still time to apply for the 2023 ZEDD cohort.
June 29, 2023
News Release: Two NREL Researchers Named Fellows of Electrochemical Society
The Electrochemical Society has selected two researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy's NREL among this year's class of its fellows: Bryan Pivovar and Jeff Blackburn.
June 28, 2023
Q&A With Clayton Barrows: Breaking Barriers on Road to Resilience
On a road trip 15 years ago, Clayton Barrows passed by NREL and thought out loud about pursuing a meaningful career in power systems modeling at the laboratory. Today he is the group manager of Grid Operations Planning in NREL's Grid Planning and Analysis Center.
June 28, 2023
Informing Energy Transitions: The 2023 Electricity Annual Technology Baseline
Informing energy transitions in the United States, NREL has released the 2023 Electricity Annual Technology Baseline (ATB), a realistic and timely set of technology cost and performance data (current and projected) for the electric sector.
June 27, 2023
Building the 2030 National Charging Network
Nearly 70 years ago, the United States began construction on the Interstate Highway System, setting in motion an effort that has been called the greatest public works project in American history.
June 26, 2023
NREL Leads Conversation in Newest Buildings Trends and Techniques at 37th Annual National Home Performance Conference
NREL researchers recently brought their expertise in renewable energy and energy efficiency to over 2,600 home performance and weatherization industry professionals from across the country at the 2023 National Home Performance Conference.
June 26, 2023
Their Powers Combined: NREL Postdocs Study Turbulent Winds To Boost Concentrating Solar Efficiency
As part of a two-year project, three NREL postdocs are working hard to understand the impact of turbulent wind conditions on a type of concentrating solar power technology that uses a tube positioned along a curved, mirrored structure to collect sunlight.
June 26, 2023
Exploring Offshore Wind Energy Opportunities in the Great Lakes
The five Great Lakes contain 20% of the planet's freshwater resources. And, according to NREL research, they hold a wealth of wind energy potential that could enable states in the region to achieve their clean-energy goals, boost their economies with high-paying jobs, and provide a cleaner environment for residents.
June 22, 2023
Hydrogen to the Rescue: Delivering Power to Disaster Recovery Sites with Zero Emissions
Imagine an emergency vehicle that can provide reliable power to disaster recovery sites, operating in near silence and emitting only water vapor. H2Rescue is just that.
June 22, 2023
Researchers Can Now Build Huge Hydropower Plants In the Lab
Today's hydropower plants could be even better—and more flexible—if researchers can find a better way to study these big, complex facilities. Learn how NREL researchers have designed a way to do exactly that.
June 22, 2023
News Release: NREL Awards $2 Million in Contracts To Support Development of Cheaper, More Efficient Cadmium Telluride Solar Cells
NREL has awarded $2 million to fund six projects to support the Cadmium Telluride Accelerator Consortium (CTAC).
June 21, 2023
Clearing the Path for Renewable Geothermal Project Development
What is stopping clean geothermal energy from rapid expansion?
Share
