About the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)

In 1975, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) choose renewable energy for electricity that launched the Solar Energy Research Institute. This institute later became the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). DOE, its Solar Energy Technologies Office, and national laboratories have interacted  with innovators, and entrepreneurs to channel the sun into clean energy. Solar technology is the fastest-growing energy source for renewable generation. Panels are cheaper and more efficient with various financing options and brief installations. We’ll review the reasons for the rapid progress in this industry. 
 

Make  PV solar systems more efficient and economical

DOE and the national laboratories partnered with the solar industry to resolve its biggest problems. The laboratories play a role in building the scientific groundwork for product optimization: creating platforms for product testing, pioneering  research on reliability, standards, and cost. This allows  solar companies to make  PV solar systems more efficient and economical.  A cost-share program allows companies to improve module manufacturing processes and equipment and accelerate cost reductions. The project decreased manufacturing costs by more than 50%, resulting in a larger return on investment for  the U.S. government and industries involved.

Overtime, DOE’s current SunShot Initiative funds cooperative research, demonstration, and deployment projects aim to drive the levelized cost of solar electricity down to $0.03 per kilowatt-hour for utility-scale solar by 2030. SunShot also gives the opportunity  for adoption by facilitating grid integration and reducing market entry barriers. NREL worked  with industry partners to invent and apply advanced techniques for increasing reliability. 
 

Pioneering clean energy 

In the 1990s, NREL scientists researched cadmium telluride (CdTe) solar cells as a cheaper option to silicon in the manufacture of panels. With DOE support, NREL created the CdTe National Team with universities and companies aimed  on pioneering clean energy. NREL’s research confirmed that CdTe technology have efficiencies and mass production. 

As for the future, Greg Wilson, co-director of the National Center for Photovoltaics at NREL, believes that  grid integration and energy storage are the next frontiers. “Energy storage, and the simultaneous pursuit of high efficiency and low cost, will enable PV at a price point that is lower than traditional fossil fuels,” he said. “The winner of the solar power race will be the winner of the next wave of energy. The United States is so well-positioned to be a leader in this field—we’ve done so much of the groundwork already, and we just need to capitalize on our momentum,” said Wilson.

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