This episode discusses three recent stories from NREL: In 2017, Puerto Rico faced a devastating double blow as consecutive hurricanes decimated 80% of its electrical grid, resulting in the longest blackout in U.S. history. Determined to rebui

NREL's Mission, Vision, and DEIA—Creating a Clean Energy Future That Works for Everyone

22 days ago 6m 57s

In this episode of Transforming Energy: The NREL Podcast, Kerrin and Taylor delve into the core motivations driving the National Renewable Energy Laboratory as they discuss NREL’s mission, vision, and commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion,

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Lab Notes: How NREL Is Tackling the Plastics Problem—an Earth Day Special  

Apr 22nd, 2024 22m 30s

In the latest episode of Transforming Energy’s Lab Notes series, hosts Taylor Mankle and Kerrin Jeromin delve into an Earth Day special focusing on NREL’s pioneering efforts in addressing the plastics problem. Through insightful conversations w

San Diego’s Clean Energy Communities, Sand’s Energy Storage Solution, Ukraine and Tanzania’s New Solar Possibilities

Apr 17th, 2024 14m 56s

This episode discusses three recent stories from NREL: The Clean Energy to Communities (C2C) program facilitates peer learning cohorts where local and regional stakeholders gather to enhance clean energy initiatives. Recently, the San Diego As

Renewable Energy Discovery Island App Encourages Young Scientists, and Electric Aviation Takes Flight

Apr 3rd, 2024 10m 6s

This episode discusses two recent stories from NREL:       The Renewable Energy Discovery (REDi) Island app, an innovative educational tool developed by researchers, immerses users in a virtual world powered entirely by renewable energy, showca

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Lab Notes: NREL Researchers in Alaska Create Efficient Housing at the World’s Extremes

Mar 27th, 2024 18m 53s

In the second episode in Transforming Energy’s Lab Notes series, guest host Molly Rettig takes listeners on a journey to Mountain Village, a Yup’ik community working with NREL researchers to design and build super energy-efficient homes amid th

Energy Transitions in Alaska and Hawaii, Tackling Microplastics With The North Face, and Renewable Tech Life-Cycle Assessments

Mar 20th, 2024 10m 51s

In this episode: Sitka, Alaska, and Molokai, Hawaii, both selected for the Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Project (ETIPP), are leveraging shared challenges of remote living and energy constraints to pioneer community-driven renewabl

A Better Battery Manufacturing Process, a Map for Improved Public Health, a Pathway to Clean Energy

Mar 6th, 2024 11m 9s

This episode discusses three recent stories from NREL: Gotham City's Dark Knight is known for his impressive gadgets, but now, NREL unveils its own cutting-edge project, known as "BatMan." This initiative harnesses laser technology to revoluti

A Better Battery Manufacturing Process, a Map for Improved Public Health, a Pathway to Clean Energy

Mar 6th, 2024 11m 9s

The Future of Sustainable Aviation Fuel and Geothermal Heat Pump Adoption—Plus, Honoring Black Researchers

Feb 21st, 2024 16m 8s

This episode discusses two recent stories from NREL: The transformative shift toward sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), highlighting the crucial role of advanced simulations powered by supercomputers. Despite the long-standing reliance on petrol

Biomass Puzzle Unlocked, Startups Getting a Head Start, New Lab Space Coming Soon

Feb 7th, 2024 9m 35s

Researchers at NREL have utilized a multidisciplinary approach to quantitatively define the arrangement of polymers in Populus wood, offering insights crucial for biomass conversion to fuels, chemicals, and materials. The study presents a novel

America’s Cardboard and Paper Waste Problem, the Link Between Electric Vehicles and Solar, and the Future of the US Electricity Sector

Jan 24th, 2024 10m 42s

A new analysis by NREL that reveals that the $4 billion economic value represented by cardboard and paper is lost due to landfilling. The study, focused on 2019 data, emphasizes the potential for substantial energy, environmental, and economic

Lab Notes: Meet NREL Laboratory Director Martin Keller

Jan 10th, 2024 50m 21s

In the introductory episode of the Lab Notes series, Laboratory Director Martin Keller sits down with NREL writer Ernie Tucker, author of Clean Energy Innovators: NREL People Working To Change the World. The pair discuss Keller’s childhood in G

10 Ways NREL Contributed to a Clean Energy Future in 2023

Dec 27th, 2023 9m 22s

Hosts Kerrin Jeromin and Taylor Mankle discuss the top 10 most-impactful stories highlighting how NREL contributed to a clean energy future in 2023. Highlights include NREL's visionary 2030 National Charging Network study, groundbreaking resear

An Equitable Clean Energy Transition in Los Angeles, a Plastics Problem in US Rivers

Dec 13th, 2023 10m 46s

Hosts Kerrin Jeromin and Taylor Mankle discuss recent stories from NREL:      The LA100 Equity Strategies project, developed by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power in collaboration with NREL and the University of California, Los Ange

From SERI to NREL: A National Laboratory Origin Story

Nov 29th, 2023 7m 9s

In this episode, hosts Kerrin Jeromin and Taylor Mankle take us on a journey through time exploring the origins of NREL. Beginning with the establishment in 1973 of the Solar Energy Research Institute (SERI) after the oil embargo, SERI soon ex

Zero-Emission Vehicles Aid in Decarbonization, Solar Cells Efficiency Improvements, AI Innovations in Wind Energy

Nov 15th, 2023 10m 22s

Hosts Kerrin Jeromin and Taylor Mankle discuss recent stories from NREL: The rapid adoption of zero-emission electric vehicles, alongside a transition to a clean electric grid and measures to manage travel demand growth, could lead to an 80% o

Unleashing the Grid Edge, Cost-Effective Mooring Systems, Revolutionizing Battery Recycling, and Moving Beyond 4-Hour Energy Storage 

Nov 1st, 2023 16m 25s

Hosts Kerrin Jeromin and Taylor Mankle discuss recent stories from NREL:     NREL’s Advanced Distribution Management System (ADMS) Test Bed is a cutting-edge facility that can enable utilities to model and evaluate distribution systems, from si

Building Healthy Homes in Alaska, Addressing Our Plastics Emergency, and Using Science To Optimize Wedding Guest Seating

Oct 18th, 2023 16m 17s

Hosts Kerrin Jeromin and Taylor Mankle discuss recent stories from NREL:     Alaska Native communities face enormous challenges when it comes to energy, housing, and health, in part due to government-provided prefabricated housing from the late

Spark Squad Comics’ Hydropower Heroes, Wind Energy’s Increased Potential, and a Tale of Two Cities Powered by Clean Energy—Plus, Clean Cities Coalitions

Oct 4th, 2023 13m 23s

Hosts Kerrin Jeromin and Taylor Mankle discuss new stories from NREL: Beneath the Surface: The 'Spark Squad' Behind the Spark Squad: Inspired by the 1990s television show “Captain Planet,” three NREL researchers developed a super squad for a

The NREL Community, Partner Forum, Walmart Partnership, and Building International Connections 

Sep 20th, 2023 13m 51s

Special Correspondent Nataleah Small joins the podcast to discuss Hispanic Heritage Month at NREL. Hosts Kerrin Jeromin and Taylor Mankle discuss three recent stories from NREL:  NREL’s Annual Partner Forum Eyes Pathways to Future Energy System

A Decade of ESIF Innovation, the R&D 100 Awards, and the Benefits of Closed-Loop Pumped Storage Hydropower 

Sep 6th, 2023 13m 23s

Hosts Kerrin Jeromin and Taylor Mankle discuss three recent stories from NREL:    10 Years of Leading Energy Systems Integration: As more renewables add to our energy mix, the grid is changing—and sectors that once were siloed are now interconn

A Clean Locomotive Revolution, Renewable Deployment Setback Ordinances, and Using Water to Cool Supercomputers

Aug 23rd, 2023 11m 5s

Hosts Kerrin Jeromin and Taylor Mankle discuss three recent stories from NREL: All Aboard! NREL Releases First Comprehensive, Open-Source Software for Freight Rail Decarbonization: The rail industry has an opportunity to revolutionize transpo

Energy Resilience in Ukraine, Agrivoltaics in Florida, and Barriers to Solar on Tribal Land

Aug 9th, 2023 14m 32s

Hosts Taylor Mankle and Kerrin Jeromin discuss four recent stories from NREL: Ukraine Fights To Build More Resilient, Renewable Energy System in Midst of War: In partnership with USAID, NREL is supporting deployment of renewable-generation-bas

Floating Solar, Electricity ATB, the Next Generation of Building Scientists, and Electrochemical Fellows

Jul 26th, 2023 12m 49s

Hosts Taylor Mankle and Kerrin Jeromin explore four recent stories from NREL: Floating Photovoltaics in Southeast Asia: In a first-of-its-kind assessment, NREL researchers completed an analysis of FPV potential for the Association of Southea