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NREL invention speeds solar cell quality tests
To come up with a way to do something 1,000 times faster than it had been done in the past, you have to count on some serendipity — not to mention hard work, collaboration and good timing. Such was the...
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A better way to connect solar and wind to the grid
The US Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Semikron's new power block is poised to make connecting renewable energy to the electricity grid less expensive and more reliable.
View ArticlePlugging in renewables across the US
Plug-n-play has become so integrated into daily life that most computer users don't give a second thought to hooking up a camera or smart phone to a laptop or tablet. Now, take the same concept and...
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Natcore partners with NREL to increase solar efficiency
US solar innovator Natcore Technologies has partnered with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to reduce the cost and increase the efficiency of photovoltaic cells.
View ArticleSolar leases attract new demographic
The sun is shining on homeowners in less affluent neighborhoods who are discovering they can afford solar energy after all — by leasing rather than buying the panels on their roofs, writes the US...
View ArticleNREL catalyst brings drop-in fuels closer
We live in a petroleum-based society, and the oil we use comes from plants that were buried eons ago and changed under pressure and high temperatures. As countries across the globe face dwindling oil...
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NREL narrows energy tech emissions estimates
The question of which energy technologies generate the most greenhouse-gas emissions — cradle to grave — now has a more precise answer, thanks to a meta-analysis of life cycle assessment studies done...
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Thermal scout finds trouble at solar plants
At a 20MW concentrating solar power (CSP) plant, some 10,000 mirrors reflect sunlight onto 10,000 receiver tubes, each of which must operate efficiently to get the maximum impact from the sun. Yet,...
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Solar cells light up Alcatraz prison cells
‘Machine Gun Kelly’, Al Capone, the ‘Birdman’ - Alcatraz prison has had some infamous residents on the craggy island known as ‘The Rock’ in the middle of San Francisco Bay. Now, the prison is host to...
View ArticleMicrogrids: So much more than back-up energy
Most Americans don't have to think much about energy reliability. We plug in a computer and it powers up; we flip a switch and the lights come on. But while very reliable today, the US electricity grid...
View ArticleNREL research shows extent of US solar price drop
The installed capacity of global and US photovoltaic systems has soared in recent years, driven by declining PV prices and government incentives with a new report showing that the median price for...
View ArticleOut-the-box thinking pushes solar efficiencies
It takes outside-the-box thinking to outsmart the solar spectrum and set a world record for solar cell efficiency. The solar spectrum has boundaries and immutable rules. No matter how much solar cell...
View ArticleDevice tosses out unusable PV wafers
Silicon wafers destined to become photovoltaic cells can take a bruising through assembly lines, as they are oxidised, annealed, purified, diffused, etched, and layered to reach their destinies as...
View ArticleDoubling energy productivity means focusing on efficiency
Researchers at the US Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have long understood that using energy more efficiently can be just as beneficial as finding new ways to...
View ArticleChange is in the air at NREL’s Wind Center
The National Wind Technology Center (NWTC) is at the nexus of a changing landscape, where the mountains meet the plains. It's also where changes in the wind industry are being previewed, writes the US...
View ArticleSaudi Arabia shows determination to diversify
Saudi Arabia is planning to move aggressively into renewable energy, with plans to install more solar and wind power in the next 20 years than the rest of the world has installed to date, writes the US...
View ArticleNREL, Energy Department reach out to industry partners with new research centre
The US National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Energy Department have launched a new research test-hub focused on utility-scale clean energy generation.
View ArticleAdding intelligence to occupancy detection
It's a gnawing frustration of modern office life. You're sitting quietly — too quietly — in an office or carrel, and suddenly the lights go off. Grrr! Installed to save energy, the room's occupancy...
View ArticleNREL, Ecopetrol partner for Colombian biofuel project
The US Energy Department's Renewable Energy Laboratory and Colombian oil company Ecopetrol are working together to process sugar cane residue and palm oil harvesting into biofuel.
View ArticleRenewables study shows upping wind and solar outweighs coal costs
The cost of wear-and-tear from cycling coal and natural gas power plants is smaller than the benefits of generating less power using fossil fuels, according to a new NREL study.
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