National Renewable Energy Laboratory

For the Shell GameChanger Accelerator Powered by NREL (GCxN), which started in 2018, 2024 was a year marked by innovation and growth, made possible through an expanded agreement between Shell and NREL. With the addition of four companies in Cohort 6, our portfolio now totals 23 companies including 17 graduates, two of whom successfully graduated just this year: Induction Food Systems and Resonant Link. Also, for the first time, GCxN is offering strategic awards for competitively selected channel partners to undertake initiatives that advance shared priorities. We have also coalesced a global network of entrepreneurial support organizations to help promising startups—regardless of location—obtain funding, connections, and market access necessary to encourage their success. Looking forward, we are excited to welcome our new startups in Cohort 7 who begin their onboarding journey this April! Read the 2024 GCxN Year in Review,https://bit.ly/42kqbHW

Join us for the Autonomous Research for Real-World Science Workshop on May 19-21. This event will bring together experts in materials science, chemistry, and automation to explore how autonomous experimentation can accelerate scientific discovery. AI-driven autonomy in materials science could offer a path to new discoveries that enhance the performance, cost-effectiveness, and resilience of energy materials. Learn more and register: https://bit.ly/3FHvecV

We’re thrilled to share that NREL researcher Steven R. Spurgeon has been awarded the Burton Medal— the highest honor for early-career scientists in microscopy! Spurgeon’s innovative research blends AI with microscopy, speeding up experiments and unlocking new possibilities for energy materials. His work demonstrates how AI can help to accelerate scientific discovery. Learn more about his inspiring journey and vision for the future of microscopy ➡️ https://bit.ly/4iEyQen

🌱✨ These Populus saplings do more than bring good vibes to our greenhouse— they’re helping us understand the composition of plants’ support structures at an atomic level! The trees contain a unique carbon marker that our researchers use to study the building blocks of wood. Using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, which is similar to an MRI, they mapped out the arrangement of the trees’ polymers—leading to the creation of the VERY FIRST computational atomistic model of the plant’s secondary wall! Check out the model here ➡️ https://bit.ly/4iALZVK

NREL researchers set new records in FY 2024, submitting 294 innovations and securing 46 patents through our Technology Transfer Office. Their work is leading the charge toward more affordable, secure energy solutions, one breakthrough at a time. From cybersecurity to solar energy, read about a few of these patents ➡️ https://bit.ly/4iqNs0G

Meet Susan Habas, a Senior Scientist at NREL whose path to advanced energy research and development was anything but conventional. Inspired by Jurassic Park and cyberpunk novels, Susan started with dreams of biomedical genetics before chemistry—and a passion for sustainable innovation—led her to catalytic research. Now, she’s pioneering breakthroughs in plasma catalysis, transforming waste into fuels and valuable materials. Her journey proves that science is always evolving—and so are the people shaping its future! Read on: https://bit.ly/4kM6e4j

Attention startups! Join 400+ energy startups and tech investors attending #NRELIGF in Denver, Colorado March 26-28. Check the Industry Growth Forum website to see who you will meet. The event features a pitch competition and 1:1 networking meetings for startups looking for investors and venture capitalists looking for their next great investment. Register today ➡️ https://bit.ly/3Zxq1us #NRELIGF #InnovateNREL

🌐🔒 Today, AI is practically everywhere you turn—even assisting our power grid! That's why we're at the forefront of ensuring this tool is both explainable and trustworthy. Our researchers are developing AI that helps secure the grid against evolving cyber threats. This includes using the Advanced Research on Integrated Energy Systems (ARIES) platform to simulate attacks in controlled environments so that they can stress-test AI models for vulnerabilities and improve cybersecurity across the grid. Check out the latest developments on our website ➡️ https://bit.ly/3N7qGgK

As the growth in global electricity needs and supply continues to accelerate, efficient power electronics will be key to improving grid efficiency, stability, integration and resilience for all energy sources. Advances in wide-bandgap materials for semiconductors offer the potential to enable greater power handling in power electronics while reducing electrical and thermal losses. Wide-bandgap materials also allow for smaller, faster, more reliable, and more energy-efficient power electronic components than current commercial silicon-based power electronic components. Two new papers from NREL investigated pathways for substrate engineering to improve power electronics. Learn more about both newly published papers ➡️ https://bit.ly/4iAQ4Jc

❄️🐾 Winter’s chill might make you want to stay indoors, but the wildlife at NREL is thriving through the ice and snow! While we work, the wildlife around NREL carries on—birds perch on icy branches, elk graze among frosty fields, and even bobcats dart across the snowy trails. Enjoy these photos of the adorable animal friends that call our campuses home!