News Releases

Access news releases about the laboratory and renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies.

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Dec. 11, 2017

News Release: NREL Research Finds a Sweet Spot for Engineering Better Cellulose-Degrading Enzymes

Researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have gained new insights into how glycosylation--the natural attachment of sugars to proteins--affects a key cellulase enzyme.

Dec. 7, 2017

News Release: NREL Develops Novel Method to Produce Renewable Acrylonitrile

A new study from the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) establishes a novel catalytic method to produce renewable acrylonitrile using 3-hydroxypropionic acid (3-HP), which can be biologically produced from sugars. This hybrid biological-catalytic process offers an alternative to the conventional petrochemical production method and achieves unprecedented acrylonitrile yields.

Nov. 27, 2017

News Release: NREL Develops Switchable Solar Window

Thermochromic windows capable of converting sunlight into electricity at a high efficiency have been developed by scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

Nov. 22, 2017

News Release: Scientific Society AAAS Honors NREL's Tumas as Fellow

William Tumas, an associate laboratory director for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), has been elected a fellow by the Council of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

Nov. 16, 2017

News Release: NREL Researchers Named Fellows by Prestigious Industry Societies

The director of the Materials Science Center at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory has been elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS).

Oct. 27, 2017

News Release: NREL, University of Washington Scientists Elevate Quantum Dot Solar Cell World Record to 13.4 Percent

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) established a new world efficiency record for quantum dot solar cells, at 13.4 percent.

Oct. 25, 2017

News Release: NREL Research Yields Significant Thermoelectric Performance

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) reported significant advances in the thermoelectric performance of organic semiconductors based on carbon nanotube thin films that could be integrated into fabrics to convert waste heat into electricity or serve as a small power source.

Oct. 24, 2017

News Release: NREL Inks Technology Agreement for High Efficiency Multijunction Solar Cells

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has entered into a license agreement with MicroLink Devices, Inc. (Niles, IL) to commercialize NREL's patented inverted metamorphic (IMM) multijunction solar cells.

Oct. 4, 2017

News Release: NREL Evaluates National Charging Infrastructure Needs for Growing Fleet of Plug-In Electric Vehicles

A new study from the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) quantifies how much charging infrastructure would be needed in the United States to support various market growth scenarios for plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs).

Oct. 2, 2017

News Release: NREL, Johns Hopkins SAIS Develop Method to Quantify Life Cycle Land Use of Electricity from Natural Gas

A case study of the Barnett Shale region in Texas, where hydraulic fracturing was first implemented, for the first time provides quantifiable information on the life cycle land use of generating electricity from natural gas based on physical measurements instead of using assumptions and averages that were previously used for evaluation.

Sept. 18, 2017

News Release: NREL Investigates Coatings Needed for Concentrating Solar Power

Keeping storage tank corrosion rates to a minimum considered vital for use of molten salts

Sept. 13, 2017

News Release: Enzyme's Worth to Biofuels Shown in Latest NREL Research

An enzyme discovered at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) proves adept at breaking down cellulose fibers regardless of whether their crystalline structure is simple or highly complex. No other enzyme has shown that ability.

Sept. 12, 2017

News Release: NREL Report Shows Utility-Scale Solar PV System Cost Fell Nearly 30% Last Year

The installed cost of solar power fell to record lows in the first quarter of 2017 because of the continuing decline in photovoltaic (PV) module and inverter prices, higher module efficiency, and lower labor costs, according to an analysis by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

Aug. 25, 2017

News Release: NREL, Swiss Scientists Power Past Solar Efficiency Records

Collaboration between researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology (CSEM), and the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) shows the high potential of silicon-based multijunction solar cells.

Aug. 24, 2017

News Release: NREL Updates Baseline Cost and Performance Data for Electricity Generation Technologies

The Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has released the 2017 Annual Technology Baseline (ATB), updating a key source of reliable electricity generation technology cost and performance data used to support and inform electric sector analysis in the United States.

Aug. 24, 2017

News Release: NREL Analysis Identifies Where Commercial Customers Might Benefit from Battery Energy Storage

Commercial electricity customers who are subject to high demand charges may be able to reduce overall costs by using battery energy storage to manage demand, according to research by the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

Aug. 23, 2017

News Release: Researchers Validate UV Light’s Use in Improving Semiconductors

A discovery by two scientists at the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) could aid the development of next-generation semiconductor devices.

July 31, 2017

News Release: NREL Names Roderick Jackson as Laboratory Program Manager for Buildings Research

Roderick Jackson is the new laboratory program manager for buildings-related research at the Energy Department's (DOE’s) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

July 24, 2017

News Release: NREL to Receive Public Service Award for 40 Years of Energy Innovation

The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is again receiving national recognition for its 40th Anniversary with a prestigious public service award.

July 21, 2017

News Release: NREL Announces Partnership with Panasonic and Xcel Energy

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is partnering with Panasonic Corporation and Xcel Energy to simulate and optimize the energy load profile of Peña Station NEXT, a planned 382-acre mixed-use development in Denver, Colo.

July 12, 2017

News Release: Study Shows India Can Integrate 175 GW of Renewable Energy into Its Electricity Grid

The U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has confirmed the technical and economic viability of integrating 175 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy into India's grid by 2022.

June 15, 2017

News Release: NREL Announces Participants for 2017 Executive Energy Leadership Program

The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has selected 22 leaders to participate in its 2017 Executive Energy Leadership program (Energy Execs).

June 8, 2017

News Release: NREL-Led Research Effort Creates New Alloys, Phase Diagram

A multi-institutional team led by the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) discovered a way to create new alloys that could form the basis of next-generation semiconductors.

May 31, 2017

News Release: NREL Names Juan Torres to Lead Energy Systems Integration

Juan Torres takes over June 5 as the new Associate Laboratory Director for Energy Systems Integration at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

May 20, 2017

News Release: Teams From Stargate, Manning Options Schools Victorious in NREL's 27th Solar and Lithium-Ion Car Races

Fifty-three teams from 18 Colorado middle schools gathered at the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden today for the 27th Annual Junior Solar Sprint and Lithium-Ion Battery Car Competitions.

May 16, 2017

News Release: NREL's Quantum Dot Research Yields Greater Control

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have developed new designer quantum dot systems with greater control over beneficial properties for photoelectrochemical and photovoltaic solar applications.

May 9, 2017

News Release: New Method of Microbial Energy Production Discovered

For all living things to succeed, they must reproduce and have the energy to do so. An organism's ability to extract energy from its surroundings--and to do it better than its competitors--is a key requirement of survival. Until recently it was thought that in all of biology, from microbes to humans, there were only two methods to generate and conserve the energy required for cellular metabolism and survival.

May 8, 2017

News Release: NREL's Advanced Atomic Layer Deposition Enables Lithium-Ion Battery Technology

The U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has entered into an exclusive license agreement with Forge Nano to commercialize NREL's patented battery materials and systems capable of operating safely in high-stress environments. A particular feature of the technology is the encapsulation of materials with solid electrolyte coatings that can be designed to meet the increasingly demanding needs of any battery application.

May 4, 2017

News Release: NREL Scientists and Engineers Recognized for Top Innovations

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) recognized its innovation and partnering successes and honored the scientists and engineers behind them at the lab's annual Innovation and Technology Transfer Awards ceremony.

May 2, 2017

News Release: NREL to Work with 14 Additional Small Businesses as Part of the DOE Small Business Vouchers Program

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) will collaborate with 14 companies to address their critical technology challenges under the third round of DOE's Small Business Vouchers (SBV) program.

April 18, 2017

News Release: Experts Outline Pathway for Generating Up to Ten Terawatts of Power from Sunlight by 2030

The annual potential of solar energy far exceeds the world’s energy consumption, but the goal of using the sun to provide a significant fraction of global electricity demand is far from being realized.

April 14, 2017

News Release: NREL Brings Together Clean Energy Innovators at Industry Growth Forum

The Industry Growth Forum, hosted by the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), this week attracted more than 400 investors, entrepreneurs, technologists and thought leaders to Denver, Colo. Three companies were honored with Best Venture and Outstanding Venture Awards at the conclusion of the event.

April 14, 2017

News Release: NREL's New Perovskite Ink Opens Window for Quality Cells

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) developed a new perovskite ink with a long processing window that allows the scalable production of perovskite thin films for high-efficiency solar cells.

April 13, 2017

News Release: NREL Researchers Capture Excess Photon Energy to Produce Solar Fuels

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have developed a proof-of-principle photoelectrochemical cell capable of capturing excess photon energy normally lost to generating heat.

April 12, 2017

News Release: NREL Establishes World Record for Solar Hydrogen Production

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) recaptured the record for highest efficiency in solar hydrogen production via a photoelectrochemical (PEC) water-splitting process.

March 28, 2017

News Release: New Report Shines Light on Installed Costs and Deployment Barriers for Residential Solar PV with Energy Storage

Learn about how NREL researchers are making detailed component and system-level cost breakdowns available for residential photovoltaic (PV) solar systems for the first time.

March 28, 2017

News Release: NREL Industry Growth Forum Connects Clean Energy Startups and Investors

NREL hosts the annual Industry Growth Forum April 13-14, 2017 in Denver, Colorado.

March 7, 2017

News Release: NREL Seeks Participants for 2017 National Executive Energy Leadership Program

The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has selected 22 leaders to participate in its 2017 Executive Energy Leadership program (Energy Execs).

Feb. 11, 2017

News Release: Fort Collins High School Wins 27th Colorado Science Bowl

Students from Fort Collins, Colo., dominated this year's Colorado High School Science Bowl with Fort Collins High School emerging victorious over second-place finisher Ridgeview Classical.

Feb. 3, 2017

News Release: NREL Research Pinpoints Promise of Polycrystalline Perovskites

A team of scientists from the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) determined that surface recombination limits the performance of polycrystalline perovskite solar cells.

Jan. 13, 2017

News Release: National Wind Technology Center Begins First Validation of Wave Energy Conversion Device

The National Wind Technology Center (NWTC) at the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has begun validation work on the first water power technology ever tested in an NREL dynamometer facility.

Jan. 11, 2017

News Release: NREL Announces Third Round of Start-Ups to Participate in the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2) Program

The Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) will help an additional 10 companies advance their technologies under the third round of the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2) program, a five-year, $10 million program designed to facilitate early-stage technologies that provide scalable solutions to reduce the energy impact of commercial buildings.

Jan. 9, 2017

News Release: NREL Pioneers Better Way to Make Renewable Hydrogen

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) developed a method which boosts the longevity of high-efficiency photocathodes in photoelectrochemical water-splitting devices.

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