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November 2022
SolarAPP+ Prize Helps Communities Adopt Automated Solar Permit Processing
NREL announced 12 communities as winners of Step 1 of the American-Made Solar Automated Permit Processing Plus (SolarAPP+) Prize—a two-step competition to help communities adopt automated processing of residential solar permits, lowering costs and making solar more accessible for homeowners.
NREL Tracks PV and Energy Storage Prices in Volatile Market
NREL has released its annual cost breakdown of installed solar photovoltaic (PV) and battery storage systems.
Strategic Planning Could Maximize the Benefits of Integrating Electric Vehicles Into Electricity Distribution Systems
Electric vehicle adoption is increasing—and fast. At this point, you may own one or probably know someone who does.
NREL and SMUD Launch Groundbreaking Automation Tool for Interconnecting Customer Solar to the Grid
NREL-developed PRECISE™ automates interconnection assessments to help customers and utilities reach growing solar goals.
September 2022
First Cohort of Innovators Enter West Gate
West Gate is a program that embeds innovators at NREL and pairs them with national laboratory scientists and capabilities over a period of two years, during which they have prime access to world-class national laboratory capabilities and expertise to significantly advance the development of their clean-energy technologies.
On the Road to 100% Clean Electricity: Six Potential Strategies To Break Through Last Few Percent
A growing body of research has demonstrated that cost-effective high-renewable power systems are possible, but costs increase as systems approach 100% carbon-free electricity—what has become known as the "last 10% problem."
Protecting Power System Frequency With Increasing Distributed Energy Resources
Distributed energy resources (DERs) with advanced controls can provide services to the grid such as frequency response. However, unlike conventional generators, DERs have to regularly exchange signals with faraway control centers.
August 2022
Exploring the Big Challenge Ahead: Insights on the Path to a Net-Zero Power Sector by 2035
NREL study identifies the opportunities and challenges of achieving the U.S. transformational goal of 100% clean electricity by 2035.
NREL Researchers Point to Path for Improved Wind Blade Recycling Rates
Researchers at NREL are considering circular economy strategies to mitigate the impact of wind turbine blades at the end of their useful lifespan.
Decarbonizing the Building Sector: The Devil's in the Data
In 2019, Washington, D.C., started using the Standard Energy Efficiency Data (SEED) Platform, a web-based software created by NREL and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to manage data from large groups of buildings and help cities reduce the energy consumption and carbon emissions of their building stock.
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Last Updated May 5, 2025