December 2025
She Wanted To Write Fantasy. Now, She Is Rewriting Recycling
In the latest Manufacturing Masterminds Q&A, Taylor Uekert shares what she really wanted to be when she grew up, why some people think recycling is broken (but she does not), and why she could not say no when NLR offered her a position.
New Report Illuminates Geothermal Cooling Potential in Hawaii
University of Hawaii at Manoa and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory teamed up to analyze feasibility of geothermal cooling technologies.
NLR Analysis Identifies Reservoir Thermal Energy Storage as a Solution for Data Center Cooling Needs
A techno-economic analysis performed by researchers at NLR has demonstrated a system to cool data centers more efficiently and inexpensively via reservoir thermal energy storage.
Turning Plastic Waste Into Opportunity: Ongoing Projects Demonstrate Broad Applications of Chemical Oxidation Recycling Platform
The chemical oxidation recycling platform, originally developed through the U.S. Department of Energy’s BOTTLE Consortium, offers a practical, cost-effective, and scalable solution for processing contaminated, mixed, and multilayer plastic waste.
News Release: Energy Department Renames NREL 'National Laboratory of the Rockies'
The U.S. Department of Energy today renamed the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) the National Laboratory of the Rockies.
Scientists Describe Exciton Formation in Thin Magnetic Crystals—With Potential for Quantum Computing or Other Advanced Technologies
A research team studied excitons in CrSBr films using NREL’s Questaal electronic structure package, combining experimentation with high-fidelity theory to better understand experimental observations.
November 2025
Can Your Wave Energy Technology Survive the Ocean?
With SEA-Stack, wave energy companies will be able to quickly vet new technology designs and potentially save significant time and money.
Three Startups Join New IN2 Cohort Advancing Reliability in Built Environment
This year’s startups are focused on energy efficiency and reliability in buildings.
NREL’s INFORMES Tool Will Accelerate the Future of Intermodal Freight
To help transition the United States to the freight system of tomorrow, NREL researchers will soon unveil the first-ever modeling tool for national intermodal freight movement, infrastructure planning, and logistics planning: INFORMES.
A Phyto Finish: Could Seaweed Be Mined for Critical Minerals?
Some seaweeds accumulate critical minerals. NREL scientists are studying which ones do it best.
9 From NREL Named to Highly Cited Researchers List
Nine scientists from NREL, a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory, have been recognized as being among the most highly cited researchers on the planet.
September 2025
HERO’s Mission: Engineering ‘Video Games’ Meet Wave Tank
NREL’s hydraulic and electric reverse osmosis wave energy converter (HERO WEC) is getting an upgrade.
Safer Batteries, Reliable Power: Guiding Research for Next-Generation Energy Storage
A recent Nature perspective authored by NREL researchers takes a closer look at the current landscape of battery safety research, emphasizing new risks and opportunities of up-and-coming energy storage technologies.
ALTRIOS Software Helps Launch Next-Generation Railcars in Heart of Georgia
After analyzing the operations of Parallel Systems’ self-propelled railcars and freight train terminals using the ALTRIOS and ALTRIOS-LIFTS tools, NREL researchers determined the next-generation vehicles could reduce delivery times by 70% and help smaller freight railroads compete with the trucking industry in short-haul deliveries.
Researcher Spotlight: Love of Biology Fuels Kristi Moriarty’s Career at NREL
Kristi Moriarty, a senior vehicle and infrastructure analysis researcher at NREL, is an expert in analyzing the infrastructure, supply chain logistics, materials, regulations, and other elements that facilitate getting advanced fuels from production to end use.
NREL Expertise Contributes to Customizable Ready-To-Deploy Tool Package To Improve Fleet Efficiency
NREL, freight industry, academia, and technology partners develop promising solution to cost-effectively increase trucking efficiency.
Q&A With Alli Werner: Engineer Enlists Tiniest Engineers (Microbes) To Recycle Plastics, Mine for Metals, and More
In the latest Manufacturing Masterminds Q&A, biological engineer Alli Werner shares why she thinks high school students should not have to choose between sports and science, what a summer internship at an Alaskan glacier taught her about field work, and how her latest breakthroughs could help make it easier, cheaper, and less toxic to recover precious metals.
NREL Researchers Build World’s Fastest, Low-Cost, Ultraefficient Silicon Carbide Power Module
How will the world meet rising energy demands? NREL researchers have an answer in the form of the Ultra-Low Inductance Smart power module, nicknamed ULIS.
Cooler Buildings, Stronger Grid: A New Approach to Air Conditioning With Built-In Energy Storage
The Energy Storing Efficient Air Conditioner is a game-changing technology developed by NREL in collaboration with Blue Frontier Inc. that can lower a building’s electricity bills and help reduce demand on the grid.
Built for Brilliance: Zintl-Phase Quantum Dots Illuminate New Opportunities for Optoelectronics
NREL-synthesized BaCd₂P₂ quantum dots demonstrate promising performance with Earth-abundant materials.
Last Updated Jan. 22, 2026