Thermochromic windows capable of converting sunlight into electricity at a high efficiency have been developed by scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Relying on such advanced materials as perovskites and single-walled carbon nanotubes, the new technology responds to heat by transforming from transparent to tinted. As the window darkens, […]
NREL, University Of Washington Scientists Elevate Quantum Dot Solar Cell World Record
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) established a new world efficiency record for quantum dot solar cells, at 13.4 percent. Colloidal quantum dots are electronic materials and because of their astonishingly small size (typically 3-20 nanometers in dimension) they possess fascinating optical properties. Quantum dot solar cells emerged […]
NREL Research Yields Significant Thermoelectric Performance
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) reported significant advances in the thermoelectric performance of organic semiconductors based on carbon nanotube thin films that could be integrated into fabrics to convert waste heat into electricity or serve as a small power source. The research demonstrates significant potential for semiconducting single-walled […]
NREL Analysis Identifies Where Commercial Customers Might Benefit From Energy Storage
Commercial electricity customers who are subject to high demand charges may be able to reduce overall costs by using battery energy storage to manage demand, according to research by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The analysis represents the first publicly available survey of commercial-sector demand charges across the United States. […]
Researchers Validate UV Light’s Use In Improving Semiconductors
A discovery by two scientists at the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) could aid the development of next-generation semiconductor devices. The researchers, Kwangwook Park and Kirstin Alberi, experimented with integrating two dissimilar semiconductors into a heterostructure by using light to modify the interface between them. Typically, the semiconductor materials used in electronic devices […]
NREL, Swiss Scientists Power Past Solar Efficiency Records
Collaboration between researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology (CSEM), and the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) shows the high potential of silicon-based multijunction solar cells. The research groups created tandem solar cells with record efficiencies of converting sunlight into electricity under […]
Study Shows India Can Integrate 175 GW Of Renewable Energy Into Its Electricity Grid
The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has confirmed the technical and economic viability of integrating 175 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy into India’s grid by 2022. Working with the Ministry of Power and USAID – with co-sponsorship from the World Bank (ESMAP) and the 21st Century Power Partnership – NREL; Power […]
Experts Outline Pathway For Generating Up To 10 Terawatts Of Power From Sunlight By 2030
The annual potential of solar energy far exceeds the world’s energy consumption, but the goal of using the sun to provide a significant fraction of global electricity demand is far from being realized. Scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), their counterparts from similar institutes in Japan and Germany, along […]
Strategies Needed for Light-Duty Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Reduction
The White House wants to cut U.S. greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 80 percent by 2050, but the goal raises questions about one of the greatest sources of those pollutants, light-duty vehicles (LDVs). The Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has taken a close look at what specific combination of measures national experts have […]
Renewable Fuels From Algae Boosted By NREL Refinery Process
A new biorefinery process developed by scientists at the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has proven to be significantly more effective at producing ethanol from algae than previous research. The process, dubbed Combined Algal Processing (CAP), is detailed in a new paper by NREL’s Tao Dong, Eric Knoshaug, Ryan Davis, Lieve Laurens, Stefanie […]