Golden, Colorado

NREL-Led Workshop Points to Path for Clean Energy Future

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, February 21, 2024
Terawatt, Golden, Colorado, NREL, Sustainable energy, Electrolysis, Joule, Volunteering, University, White, Electricity, Longevity, Science, DOE, Development, Journal, CO, Research, Wind, Renewable energy

But we have to lay the foundations now and invest more in that.”

Key Points: 
  • But we have to lay the foundations now and invest more in that.”
    The paper, “ Nanoscale Science for Terawatt/Gigaton Scale Performance of Clean Energy Technologies ,” appears in the journal Joule.
  • The cross-disciplinary, two-day workshop examined the commonalities across various technologies, identified areas for synergistic work, and outlined a path forward.
  • There's no question about that.”
    The workshop was funded by the Laboratory Directed Research and Development program at NREL.
  • NREL is the U.S. Department of Energy's primary national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development.

Benefits of Heat Pumps Detailed in New NREL Report

Retrieved on: 
Monday, February 12, 2024
Golden, Colorado, Inflation, NREL, Atmosphere, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Sustainable energy, Joule, Propane, Science, Risk, Heat, Air conditioning, Electricity, British thermal unit, DOE, Housing, CO, Research

The findings, detailed in the journal Joule, quantify the costs and benefits of air-source heat pumps across the United States and consider various climates, heating sources, and types of homes.

Key Points: 
  • The findings, detailed in the journal Joule, quantify the costs and benefits of air-source heat pumps across the United States and consider various climates, heating sources, and types of homes.
  • Their analysis considered such factors as the performance of different heat pumps and whether additional steps to upgrade the insulation had occurred.
  • However, due to high installation costs, heat pumps may only be financially feasible for a smaller portion of households.
  • Nationally, heat pumps would cut residential sector greenhouse gas emissions by 36%–64%, including the emissions from new electricity generation.

Green Wheels, Bright Skies: NREL Analysis Unveils the Connection Between Electric Vehicles and Photovoltaics

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, January 9, 2024
Nexus, EVS, Research, DOE, PV, Golden, Colorado, CO, University, San Francisco Bay Area, PVS, NREL, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Design, Sustainable energy, EV, Electricity, Transport, Renewable energy

Conversely, the impact of owning solar panels also has a bearing on whether a homeowner buys an electric vehicle but not as strongly.

Key Points: 
  • Conversely, the impact of owning solar panels also has a bearing on whether a homeowner buys an electric vehicle but not as strongly.
  • The paper, “ The Electric Vehicles-Solar Photovoltaics Nexus: Driving Cross-Sectoral Adoption of Sustainable Technologies ,” appears in the journal Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews.
  • In the 2018 survey, more of the participants owned or previously owned rooftop solar panels than an electric vehicle (9.1% vs. 6.5%).
  • NREL is the U.S. Department of Energy's primary national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development.

NREL’s Community-Driven Analysis Identifies Strategies To Improve Equity in LA's Clean Energy Transition

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, November 16, 2023
UCLA, Research, Golden, Colorado, Water, University, Investment, Risk, LADWP, Partnership, Sustainable energy, Housing, CO, DOE, NREL, Face, Renewable energy

NREL used procedural, recognition, and distributional justice tenets to guide its engagement with Los Angeles stakeholders and analysis approaches.

Key Points: 
  • NREL used procedural, recognition, and distributional justice tenets to guide its engagement with Los Angeles stakeholders and analysis approaches.
  • “Each piece was crucial to identifying tangible, actionable strategies that could improve equity in the city’s clean energy transition.”
    The project results find that historical LADWP program investments are inequitable.
  • A 100% clean energy transition calls for a major shift in how investments are allocated.
  • NREL is the U.S. Department of Energy's primary national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development.

Deep Decarbonization Scenarios Reveal Importance of Accelerating Zero-Emission Vehicle Adoption

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, November 1, 2023
Policy, Energy efficiency, Golden, Colorado, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Inspector General, Behavior, NREL, Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications, Biofuel, Transport, Electricity, TEMPO, Research, Hydrogen, Growth, Nature Communications, Travel, DOE, U.S. Department of Defense Strategy for Operating in Cyberspace, CO, Burn, ZEV, Greenhouse, ZEVS, Sustainable energy, Renewable energy, Energy

“In the scientific community, there is a lot of agreement around what needs to happen to slash transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions, especially when it comes to electrification.

Key Points: 
  • “In the scientific community, there is a lot of agreement around what needs to happen to slash transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions, especially when it comes to electrification.
  • Hoehne’s co-authors from NREL are Matteo Muratori, Paige Jadun, Brian Bush, Artur Yip, Catherine Ledna, and Laura Vimmerstedt.
  • While most vehicles today burn fossil fuels, a zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) relies on alternate sources of power, such as batteries or hydrogen.
  • NREL is the U.S. Department of Energy's primary national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development.

New Database Shines Spotlight on Decades of Solar Mirror Research

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, October 24, 2023
Solar energy, Corrosion, Golden, Colorado, Temperature, Corrosion engineering, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Inspector General, Humidity, NREL, SMMD, Glass, Nature, Research, Aluminium, Journal, Salt, Database, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Silver, U.S. Department of Defense Strategy for Operating in Cyberspace, DOE, CO, Sustainable energy, Telescope, Silviculture, Renewable energy, Augustin-Jean Fresnel

The publicly available Solar Mirror Materials Database (SMMD) will contain information from thousands of solar mirror samples from more than a hundred suppliers that have been subjected to outdoor tests and laboratory environments.

Key Points: 
  • The publicly available Solar Mirror Materials Database (SMMD) will contain information from thousands of solar mirror samples from more than a hundred suppliers that have been subjected to outdoor tests and laboratory environments.
  • Details about the SMMD are contained in a new article, “ Compilation of a Solar Mirror Materials Database and an Analysis of Natural and Accelerated Mirror Exposure and Degradation ,” published in the Journal of Solar Energy Engineering.
  • You want to reflect solar energy and concentrate it at a single point and capture the heat,” Farrell said.
  • NREL is the U.S. Department of Energy's primary national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development.

NREL Analysis Identifies Drivers of Offshore Wind Development

Retrieved on: 
Monday, October 9, 2023
Fossil, Farm, Plant, Wind, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Inspector General, Golden, Colorado, EPRI, Carbon, Electricity, Sustainable energy, CO, D, Use of Free and Open-Source Software (FOSS) in the U.S. Department of Defense, NREL, DOE, Policy, Nature Energy, Research, Renewable energy, Atlantic Ocean

The current role of offshore wind electricity in the United States has been understudied, they said.

Key Points: 
  • The current role of offshore wind electricity in the United States has been understudied, they said.
  • The analysis, “ Expanded modeling scenarios to understand the role of offshore wind in decarbonizing the United States ,” appears in the journal Nature Energy.
  • Under the study’s core scenario with high load growth and electrification, offshore wind accounts for 133 gigawatts by 2050.
  • NREL is the U.S. Department of Energy's primary national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development.

Predictive Model Could Improve Hydrogen Station Availability

Retrieved on: 
Monday, September 18, 2023
Hydrogen, Maintenance, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Probability, Failure, Sustainable energy, Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CSU, Colorado State University, Gasoline, United States Department of Energy, Research, H2S, DOE, Golden, Colorado, CO, Canadian International Council, PHM, Diagnosis, NREL, Coal

The use of what is known as a prognostics health monitoring (PHM) model would allow hydrogen stations to reduce these unscheduled events.

Key Points: 
  • The use of what is known as a prognostics health monitoring (PHM) model would allow hydrogen stations to reduce these unscheduled events.
  • We want to ensure motorists who drive hydrogen-fueled cars have the same experience,” said Jennifer Kurtz, lead author of the new paper, “ Hydrogen Station Prognostics and Health Monitoring Model ,” which appears in the International Journal of Hydrogen Energy.
  • “This predictive model can let station operators know in advance when a problem might occur and minimize any disruptions that motorists might experience with hydrogen fueling.”
    Co-authored by Spencer Gilleon of NREL and Thomas Bradley of CSU, the article posits the PHM model would improve station availability and consumer confidence.
  • While California has more than 10,000 gasoline stations, the Hydrogen Fuel Cell Partnership counts just 59 retail hydrogen stations across the state.

Combination of Stressors Key to Testing Perovskite Solar Cells

Retrieved on: 
Monday, September 11, 2023
University, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Inspector General, Nature, Sustainable energy, U.S. Department of Defense Strategy for Operating in Cyberspace, Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center, Light, Research, Cell, DOE, Golden, Colorado, CO, Humidity, Chemistry, Qi, NREL, Renewable energy, Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, Pharmaceutical industry

“We must understand how well perovskite solar cells will perform outdoors, under real conditions, to move this technology closer to commercialization,” said Kai Zhu, a senior scientist in the Chemistry and Nanoscience Center at NREL.

Key Points: 
  • “We must understand how well perovskite solar cells will perform outdoors, under real conditions, to move this technology closer to commercialization,” said Kai Zhu, a senior scientist in the Chemistry and Nanoscience Center at NREL.
  • Researchers tend to test the stability of perovskite solar cells by exposing them to light and under low temperatures.
  • The NREL-led research team put perovskite solar cells through a battery of tests.
  • The researchers concluded that high temperature and illumination is the most critical combination of stressors for understanding how well a perovskite solar cell will perform outdoors.

NREL Analysis Reveals Benefits of Hydropower for Grid-Scale Energy Storage

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, August 17, 2023
U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Inspector General, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Environmental science, Sustainable energy, Climate, U.S. Department of Defense Strategy for Operating in Cyberspace, Environmental Science & Technology, Electricity, Research, Carbon, DOE, Kilowatt-hour, GWP, Wind, Golden, Colorado, CO, Risk, Compressed air car, Spectroscopy, CAES, Greenhouse, Inman, Compressed air, NREL, Renewable energy

Increasing the energy storage capacity can support a higher amount of renewable energy generation on the electric grid.

Key Points: 
  • Increasing the energy storage capacity can support a higher amount of renewable energy generation on the electric grid.
  • The NREL study provides a life cycle assessment of new closed-loop pump storage hydropower in the United States and assesses its GWP.
  • Pumped storage hydropower is compared against four other technologies: compressed-air energy storage (CAES), utility-scale lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), utility-scale lead-acid (PbAc) batteries, and vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs).
  • “We looked at compressed-air energy storage, which allows for grid-scale energy storage and provides services like grid inertia and resilience.