NREL

DOE adds support for electric vehicle infrastructure with new $5M program, Google project

By / April 19, 2011

Credit: DOE, GeoEVSE. The DOE’s conference-call news conference today was FUBAR’d, apparently for technical reasons, so some of the facts that follow might not be totally right. Thus forewarned, I…

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Japanese group ‘prints’ amorphous silicon photovoltaic cell created using silicon inks

By / February 16, 2011

JAIST researchers have developed three types of silicon ink:  aB-doped p-type, an i-type (intrinsic) and a P-doped type.Credit T. Shimoda; JAIST. Typically, photovoltaic units composed of thin-film silicon materials do…

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Glass optics enhance concentrating solar performance

By / November 29, 2010

An all-glass optical lens may be the key component to achieving higher efficiency and higher energy production concentrating solar power systems. Silicon Valley-based Solergy, who recently announced plans  to install…

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MS&T’10 plenary presentations: ‘Energy, Infrastructure, Policy and Security’

By / November 16, 2010

Audio versions (MP3) of the three plenary speakers at last month’s MS&T’10 conference are now available. We’ve broken them up into the individual presentations by Terry Michalske, Robert T. McGrath…

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2011 ‘Solar Decathlon’ building, materials innovation contest names student teams

By / April 15, 2010

The DOE just release the names of the 20 teams (some from multiple schools) who will be competing in next year’s Solar Decathlon that will take place in Washington, D.C.,…

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RavenBrick: Nifty, thrifty, nonelectric smart windows and smart walls

By / March 18, 2010

Last week I had a post about Sage Electrochromics and the company’s line of smart windows. But, there is another company, RavenBrick, that says it has a less expensive, film-based…

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Contaminated sites to be used to develop renewable energy

By / February 28, 2010

The EPA and the DOE’s National Renewable Energy Lab are evaluating the feasibility of developing renewable energy production on Superfund, brownfields and former landfill or mining sites. Superfund sites are…

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NREL battery testing labs get a boost

By / February 18, 2010

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is looking to help the battery industry with a simple goal — to mass produce better batteries domestically while addressing safety, affordability, life and…

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Video of the week: The role of R&D in renewable energy

By / December 30, 2009

Dan Arvizu, Director of the National Renewable Energy Lab, discusses the role of research and development in the age of renewable energy. Run time 1 hour.

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Solarmer Energy breaks record with 7.9% efficiency

By / December 8, 2009

(Via Treehugger) Solarmer Energy has announced that the company has achieved a new certified-by-NREL record for efficiency with their plastic organic photovoltaic solar cells. Solarmer feels that their plastic OPV…

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