On a sun-filled winter day, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) researchers visited Jennette’s Pier, which sits on the shore of Nags Head beach in North Carolina. Amid salty air and crashing waves, the crew deployed a wave-powered desalination test device and anchored it to the nearby seabed — a long-awaited … [continued]
New Modeling Approach Intersects Equity Metrics and Renewable Energy Technical Potential To Prioritize Communities That Need Deployment the Most This story originally published on JISEA.org. Renewable energy development can bolster local economies through job creation, tax revenues, and lower energy costs, but communities that need these benefits the most often see … [continued]
55 teams representing 38 universities are advancing as finalists in the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon® 2022 Design Challenge. Finalist teams were chosen based on presentations and design submissions at the semifinal competition event, held virtually February 25–26, 2022. During this event, teams pitched their unique building designs, impressing industry expert … [continued]
The Program, Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Will Build on 10 Years of Successful Distributed Wind Energy Innovation The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has issued a request for proposals (RFP) for the Competitiveness Improvement Project (CIP). New this year is an opportunity for … [continued]
For decades engineers have dreamed of programming organisms to sustainably produce ethylene, a chemical that is nicknamed “the king of petrochemicals” for its importance in plastics. Now, one hopeful pathway to this petrochemical is nearing reality, via a photosynthetic bacterium that is genetically specialized to turn sunlight and carbon dioxide … [continued]
NREL Pioneer Celebrates 35 Years of Advancing Concentrating Solar Power Research When it comes to concentrating solar power (CSP) research, Mark Mehos has seen the industry growth and solar boom firsthand. CSP technologies — capturing sunlight to produce heat that drives thermoelectric generation systems — had their beginnings in the mid-1980s, at the … [continued]
A new report from Blokable, the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2), and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) details actionable pathways to developing and building net zero energy (NZE) housing without increasing costs yet still reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. IN2 is managed by NREL’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center. The newly … [continued]
Teams Will Receive Direct Funding and More Than a Year of Technical Support as They Explore New Forms of Equitable Solar Adoption in Residential and Commercial-Scale Settings Solar energy is taking off in the United States. The U.S. Energy Information Agency projects that solar power will account for nearly half of all … [continued]
Roderick Jackson Follows His Passion for Science, Students, and Social Justice At the age of 3, Roderick Jackson, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL’s) laboratory program manager for buildings research, landed his first job. He was tasked with picking up straight nails as a member of the framing crew for his … [continued]
Molten Salts Can Melt Down the Price of Concentrating Solar Power-Plus-Storage Concentrating solar power (CSP) has long held promise as a renewable energy technology. CSP uses mirrors, or heliostats, to harness the power of the sun by heating and storing an inexpensive medium such as sand, rocks, or molten salt … [continued]
