November 2017
Robotics Intern Retrofits Home Appliance to Operate in New, More-Efficient Ways
An undergraduate intern's contributions during a summer internship at NREL are helping researchers maintain homeowner comfort while using less energy and, ultimately, easing the burden on aging grid infrastructure.
New Study Indicates Shorter-Term Storage Can Reduce Variable-Generation Curtailments
Increasing the penetration of variable energy sources such as solar and wind energy in the grid without introducing heavy curtailment does not require costly, very-long-duration storage.
NREL Announces New Distributed Wind Competitiveness Improvement Project Contracts
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory recently announced six new contracts for Round 5 of the U.S. Department of Energy-funded Distributed Wind Competitiveness Improvement Project.
October 2017
America's Wind Energy Future Looks Seaward
NREL research supports emerging offshore wind industry.
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.
NREL Blows Up Batteries to Make the World Safer
NREL is Helping to Safely Power Our World One Controlled Explosion at a Time
NREL Wins Prestigious UK "Academy Award" for Engineering
In the U.S. engineering world, R&D 100 Awards are the equivalent of Oscars, and the Engineer Collaborate to Innovate Award is the United Kingdom (UK) version on the other side of the pond. In September, NREL partners from University College London (UCL), along with NASA, the European Synchrotron Research Facility (ESRF), and the UK National Physical Laboratory (NPL), won an Engineer Collaborate to Innovate Award in the category of Safety & Security for lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery safety research using NREL's patented, R&D Award-winning Battery Internal Short Circuit (ISC) Device.
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.
NREL Charges Forward to Reduce Time at EV Stations
Shortening recharge times may diminish range anxiety and increase electric vehicle (EV) market viability. Therefore, speeding up battery charging is crucial to improving the convenience of owning and driving an electric vehicle (EV). The Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is collaborating with Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Idaho National Laboratory (INL), and industry stakeholders to identify the technical, infrastructure, and economic requirements for establishing a national extreme fast charging (XFC) network.
NREL Findings Could Lead to More Reliable Solar Cells
New research shows how to increase reliability of copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) thin-film solar cells. Key to the improvement is the use of photoluminescence excitation spectroscopy to identify defects in the solar cell that lower its efficiency and cause degradation.
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.
Driving Down PV Costs by Streamlining Project Data
NREL is teaming with a range of stakeholders on the Orange Button initiative to drive the creation and adoption of industry-led, open data standards for seamless data exchange across the solar industry.
At NASEO Meetings, NREL's Solar Technical Assistance Team Gains States' Perspectives
NREL's Solar Technical Assistance Team attends meetings of the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) to stay up-to-date with the needs and concerns of state officials.
NREL and Partners Highlight Collaboration and Explore Future During Partner Week
Partner Week, part of NREL's 40th anniversary celebrations, highlighted collaborators through a series of workshops and networking events.
Undersea Microbes Provide Path to Energy Storage
NREL establishes first demonstration project in United States.
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).
NREL Workshop at the Solar Decathlon Investigates Net-Zero Master Planning
Attend NREL's "The Making of a Smart City" workshop at the Solar Decathlon from 2-3 p.m. on Monday, October 9, 2017, in the Wells Fargo Education Tent.
Study Estimates Consumer Demand for Electric Vehicle Charging Stations in Colorado
As the number of electric vehicles in Colorado continues to rise, the demand for publicly accessible charging stations increases as well. In partnership with the Regional Air Quality Council and the Colorado Department of Transportation, NREL conducted a study to help the state predict consumer demand for charging stations.
New REopt Lite Tool Allows Building Owners to Optimize PV and Battery System Sizes
The REopt Lite web tool helps building owners evaluate the economics of grid-connected solar photovoltaics (PV) and battery storage at commercial sites.
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.
Last Updated Jan. 22, 2026