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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August 2024
Aug. 27, 2024
At the Intersection of Hydropower and Cybersecurity
A new, specially designed cybersecurity tool for hydropower plants is now in development at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
Aug. 22, 2024
News Release: NREL Advances Method for Recyclable Wind Turbine Blades
Researchers at NREL see a realistic path forward to the manufacture of bio-derivable wind blades that can be chemically recycled and the components reused, ending the practice of old blades winding up in landfills at the end of their useful life.
Aug. 22, 2024
NREL Research Synthesizes Molecular Aggregates for Solar Energy Applications
No molecule stands alone—they need others, at least when it comes to being able to display useful photophysical, electronic, and chemical properties.
Aug. 22, 2024
Behind the Blades: Future Wind Energy Leaders Earn Their Stripes as NREL Interns
NREL's National Wind Technology Center hosted 36 interns for the summer. The Leading Edge caught up with six of those interns to learn about their work, achievements, and hopes for the future.
Aug. 21, 2024
How 8 Hours of Constant Explosions Can Help Make Concrete Carbon Neutral
DTE Materials has access to NREL expertise and equipment through the Shell GameChanger Accelerator Powered by NREL (GCxN) program. DTE’s patented process, called Clearwash, is designed to make anatomical changes to biomass to make it integrate with ceramic binders more effectively.
Aug. 21, 2024
Last Year in Review: Commercial Offshore Wind Energy Making Tangible Gains
Annual NREL-authored report outlines last year's advancements in the offshore wind energy industry, including major milestones that signal positive growth.
Aug. 20, 2024
Inspiring and Creative: Three NREL Researchers Recently Honored by the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy
The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) announced approximately $11.5 million in funding through its new Inspiring Generations of New Innovators to Impact Technologies in Energy 2024 (IGNIITE 2024) program. Three researchers from NREL are among the inaugural class of selectees.
Aug. 19, 2024
Chemist Rebecca Smaha Knows It: Next-Gen Clean Energy Technologies Hinge on Basic Materials Science
Call it fate or happenstance, but NREL's Rebecca Smaha found her chemistry specialization in an auditorium at Princeton University during her junior year.
Aug. 19, 2024
Kestrel Supercomputer Ready To Energize Renewable Energy Research
After more than two years of hard work, the Kestrel supercomputer completes its full buildout to reach 44 petaflops of computing power focused on renewable energy and energy efficiency research.
Aug. 19, 2024
With Critical Systems Under Attack, a New Workplace Culture Could Be the Best Defense
The workforce in critical sectors is short-staffed and undertrained in cybersecurity. To address this gap, the U.S. government has taken steps to expand, diversify, and educate the critical infrastructure workforce, and that agenda is already in action at NREL.
Aug. 14, 2024
Beneath the Surface: Anuj Sanghvi’s Journey From Toy Tinkerer to Cybersecurity Defender
Anuj Sanghvi, now an NREL cybersecurity researcher and network security engineer, always knew he wanted to work in engineering. He was one of those children—the ones who take toys and electronics apart to play with the circuit boards.
Aug. 8, 2024
Researcher Shafquat Khan Elevated to Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers Senior Member
Khan is a researcher within NREL's Center for Integrated Mobility Sciences and has been named a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).
Aug. 8, 2024
Creative Services Group Manager Puts Humans Into Science
Bill Gillies was chosen as a 2024 Distinguished Member of Operations Staff for his contributions to the laboratory.
Aug. 6, 2024
NREL Buildings Research Is Helping US Navy Make Energy Efficiency Improvements
With more than 500,000 buildings and structures at more than 500 domestic and international naval sites, the U.S. Navy has an opportunity to achieve significant energy and cost savings by increasing efficiency.
Aug. 6, 2024
Stronger Together: Coupling Excitons to Polaritons for Better Solar Cells and Higher Intensity LEDs
In solar cells and light-emitting diodes, maintaining the excited state kinetics of molecules against annihilation is a race against time.
Aug. 5, 2024
Manufacturing Masterminds Q&A With Jibo Sanyal: The Nature Lover Who Sees Our Planet From a Bird's-Eye View
In the latest Manufacturing Masterminds Q&A, Jibo shares why a prosthesis changed how he sees himself and how clean energy could help manufacturing facilities do far more than just reduce their emissions.
Aug. 5, 2024
Two NREL Researchers Receive Sustainable Technology Awards
Parveen Dhillon and Paul Torcellini have been recognized by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) for their outstanding contributions and accomplishments to sustainable technology.
Aug. 5, 2024
Soft Cost Analysis of EV Charging Infrastructure Informs Transition to an Electric Fleet
Soft costs for the private and public electric vehicle supply equipment needed to support electric vehicle fleets are essential to the transportation sector's electrification but are not well understood.
Aug. 1, 2024
Student-Led Teams Win Big at Community Energy Innovation Summit
Over the past seven months, a select group of college students in Texas and Georgia have been collaborating with local organizations to drive clean energy education and solutions.
July 2024
July 30, 2024
NREL Researchers Pave the Way for Carbon-Negative Concrete
BUILD'EM represents a promising step toward a greener construction industry.
July 30, 2024
The Path To Supply Clean Energy to Every Home
In the latest installment of NREL's Tell Me Something Grid Series, grid researcher Sherin Ann Abraham dives into the exciting challenges of modernizing the distribution grid.
July 29, 2024
Flipping the Script on Traditional Wind Turbine Technologies
An extensive study on one of NREL's research wind turbines offers keys insights into the benefits and challenges of downwind operations.
July 26, 2024
Panels, Presentations, and Posters: NREL Plays Key Role at Premier Wind Energy Conference
At the TORQUE Conference in Florence, Italy, this May, NREL wind researchers took to the stage to share their impactful research and learn from others.
July 26, 2024
The Grid Can Handle More Renewable Energy, But It Needs Some Help
A new kind of grid technology, called medium-voltage silicon carbide converters, could help the U.S. grid smoothly transition to renewable energy.
July 25, 2024
NREL Project Sets Stage for Quantifying Future Energy System Cyber Risks
Researchers at NREL recently explored a model of risk evaluation to energy system upgrades in a project called Cyber100 Compass.
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