Energy.gov

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Wind Energy Technologies Office addresses a number of pressing energy needs, from improving technology performance to advancing wind turbines’ design and size to facilitating grid integration of renewable energy. Since wind energy research began in the United States in the 1970s, DOE has brought together industry, academia, and key research institutions to help overcome wind energy deployment challenges related to cost, design, materials, efficiency, and environmental stewardship.

Advanced inverters are a critical enabler of high solar photovoltaic (PV) penetrations because of their smart functionalities and ability to maintain a balanced grid. Deploying advanced inverters with smart grid capabilities in the field, however, is easier said than done. Thanks to the work of the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), the solar industry has a solid foundation for both using and improving inverter technology.

Millions of Americans looking to buy a home have a new resource to help them go solar in the process. Thanks to a partnership between SunShot Initiative awardee Sun Number and real estate company Zillow, homeowners and prospective buyers across the country can now quickly and easily access detailed information about a property’s solar energy potential.

As the residential solar sector rapidly grows, so do the number of options energy consumers have to choose from when going solar. The process can be complex, but energy consumers in Rhode Island now have the option to go solar through their utility thanks to a first-of-its-kind partnership between EnergySage and National Grid.

New software is being developed by Purdue University in partnership with Dow Chemical Company, Eastman Chemical Company, and ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company, which will use algorithms to analyze feeds with up to six different components and determine the optimized distillation column configuration.