Partnership With Xcel Energy Reveals Solutions To Meet Needs of and Avoid Unnecessary Expenses for Grid Customers. As demand for electricity in the United States grows and evolves, utilities need to continually analyze whether distribution infrastructure is up to the task. Strain on the power grid can risk transformer overloads … [continued]
JUSTIFI is a free tool that quantifies potential cost-saving outcomes of energy productivity projects. Image by Taylor Henry, National Laboratory of the Rockies.
Free Software Will Help Industry Understand the Full Value of Energy Projects Energy productivity—the measure of how much economic value is generated for every unit of energy used—can be underestimated when multiple benefits are overlooked. Multiple benefits are the operational and strategic improvements—such as productivity gains, quality enhancements, safety improvements, reduced downtime, … [continued]
This figure illustrates the ethylenepyridine linkage between the silicon nanocrystal (Si) and the molecular catalyst cobaloxime (Co). This strong bonding enables formation of a high-energy hybrid electronic state. Image from J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2026, 148, 6, 6412-6421.
Semiconductor-Catalyst Combo Captures Energy To Drive Chemical Reactions By Connor O’Neil Plants and algae make their fuel from sunlight. Perhaps we could do the same using semiconductors. A team of scientists at the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) made strides in that direction. They discovered a silicon semiconductor coupled … [continued]
Assistant Secretary of Energy Audrey Robertson announced the National Laboratory of the Rockies’ (NLR’s) two memorandums of understanding with the Colorado School of Mines and University of Utah at NLR’s Partner Forum on May 5, 2026. Photo by Joe DelNero, National Laboratory of the Rockies.
Memorandums of Understanding Combine Facilities and Capabilities To Build Pipelines for Tech Commercialization and Skilled Domestic Workforces By Brooke Van Zandt The National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) this week signed memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with the Colorado School of Mines and the University of Utah that will help strengthen … [continued]
The ON.energy team meets with NLR staff at the Flatirons Campus. Photo by Agata Bogucka, National Laboratory of the Rockies.
Inside the First Data Center–Grid Simulator Built To Test the Promising New Technology As demand for data centers continues to rise, many center operators, utilities, and American communities are asking: Can the U.S. power grid handle these energy elephants? The answer depends on just how many elephants the country adopts. … [continued]
Companies Need Critical Minerals for Electronics, Medical Equipment, Crops, and More. These 3 Techniques (and Others) Could Make Some Easier To Get. “The Fast Lane” series zooms in on some of the thousands of technologies born in national laboratories that companies can license today. This iteration focuses on tools and … [continued]
The Humpback Creek hydroelectric facility in Cordova, Alaska, was the site of an edge data center pilot project. Photos from Chelsea Haisman.
The U.S. Department of Energy Helped Cordova With Its Local Microgrid. Now the Remote City Is Localizing Its Data Too. For years, the Cordova Electric Cooperative in Alaska has worked to source its energy closer to home. Hydropower and battery energy storage now supply Cordova’s highly seasonal electric demand. This … [continued]
How a Decades-Long Partnership Is Unearthing Answers to That and Other Electric Questions By Caitlin McDermott-Murphy, NLR In 2023, four members of Schneider Electric’s Global Research Team were touring a facility at the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR), formerly known as NREL, when one looked into a warehouse-sized lab … [continued]
RTES System Cuts Energy Consumption and Costs Over a Simulated 20-Year Period By Hannah Halusker, NLR The rise of artificial intelligence, cloud platforms, and data processing is driving a steady increase in global data center electricity consumption. While running computer servers accounts for the largest share of data center energy … [continued]
University of Hawaii at Manoa and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Teamed up To Analyze Feasibility of Geothermal Cooling Technologies By Justin Daugherty, NLR In areas with geologically recent volcanic activity and ample underground water flow, like the Hawaiian Islands, geothermal energy technologies present options to augment the electric grid. To … [continued]
