Sunshot Initiative

From the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy:

#TBT to three years ago, when a wave of utility-scale#solar projects came online in the #US, including the Alamosa Solar Generating Project in southern#Colorado (pictured). Our #SunShot Initiative is working to make it easier for utilities to bring solar #energy to their customers. According to Solar Energy Industries Association, utility-scale projects in 2012 represented 1.7 gigawatts of solar capacity in the United States. At the beginning of 2015, utility-scale projects had expanded to more than 14 gigawatts nationwide – and there are another 14 gigawatts of projects currently under contract. Learn how SunShot’s systems integration team works to seamlessly add more utility-scale solar to the power grid:http://go.usa.gov/35xsY.

NREL + SolarCity: Maximizing Solar Power on Electrical Grids

The economic impact of NREL

From the National Renewable Energy Laboratory:

Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado at Boulder Study: The economic impact of NREL nationwide exceeds $872 million in fiscal year 2014, $701 million in Colorado. http://go.usa.gov/35Red

NREL Cyanobacteria

From the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL):

NREL Cyanobacteria Ramps Up Photosynthesis—and New Challenges - Photosynthesis is nature’s solar energy conversion process—it makes O2 from water while turning CO2 into organic compounds. It powers biomass growth in plants and algae, which are potential feedstocks for bioenergy production. In addition, photosynthetic organisms can be engineered to convert CO2 directly to target chemicals, bypassing the middle-man biomass, as in the case of a cyanobacterium engineered by NREL to convert CO2 directly to ethylene gas. http://1.usa.gov/1GkM2k8

Green Racing Simulator

From the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy:

Taking a ride in this Green Racing Simulator is like playing Gran Turismo 5 on PlayStation 3 but with a few differences—it models a hybrid racecar and gives racers a “green score” based on how much petroleum they save by how they drive. On June 22, the simulator will be open for the public to experience green #racingin Washington, D.C., in conjunction with our Bioenergy Technologies Office’s (BETO) conference,#Bioenergy2015. BETO funds research and development to make new types of #biofuel—from non-food plant sources such as #agricultural residue and#algae—environmentally sustainable and cost-competitive with petroleum fuel. Developing these fuels and getting them to market requires the collaboration of researchers, private companies, and other government agencies, which is why Bioenergy 2015 is so important. Read more about the conference:http://go.usa.gov/35CE6. 

View event details for the Green Racing Simulator:http://go.usa.gov/3XnFm.

NREL: News Feature - Rain or Shine, Students Keep Their Race Cars Going

May 29, 2015



Teegan and Kira Cordova love the original Star Trek TV series. That much is obvious. The eighth-grade twins from Ken Caryl Middle School in Littleton are wearing the uniform tunics from the 1960s show—Teegan's in red and Kira's in blue. The model electric car they're racing in the 25th Annual Junior Solar Sprint and Lithium Ion Battery car competitions carries the designation NCC-1701, the same identifier emblazoned across the hull of the USS Enterprise—which fits perfectly with their car's name: "Starship Enterprise."



Less obvious is the amount of work it took to get them and their car to Jefferson County's Dakota Ridge High School, where the races took place. The twins worked for weeks after school to perfect the design of their lithium-ion battery-powered car, scrapping a handful of ideas, and taking lessons learned from racing a solar-powered car at last year's event.



NREL: News Feature - Rain or Shine, Students Keep Their Race Cars Going

Alternative Fueling Station Locator

From the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy:

No matter what alternative fueled or plug-in electric vehicle you choose to drive, we can help you find the closest fueling station. Our Alternative Fuel Station Locator tool recently hit a milestone of more than 20,000 locations listed across #America. This tool provides comprehensive and accurate information on fueling stations for #biodiesel, compressed natural gas (#CNG), #electricity, #E85, #hydrogen, liquefied natural gas (#LNG) and #propane. Learn more about this tool which is making it easier for more Americans to drive alternative fuel vehicles and enhance our #energyindependence: http://go.usa.gov/3XRnj.