News Archives - 2015
October 30, 2015
NREL Innovation Improves Safety of Electric Vehicle Batteries
Newly patented Internal Short Circuit device offers manufacturers a groundbreaking tool.
October 26, 2015
NREL's Battery Life Predictive Model Helps Companies Take Charge
Companies that rely on batteries for enhanced energy efficiency-including electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers, solar and wind energy generation companies, and utilities-need to know how to use batteries most effectively. As investment in large-scale battery energy storage grows, it is also vital to know how long batteries will last in the field.
June 22, 2015
Battery Second Use Offsets Electric Vehicle Expenses, Improves Grid Stability
NREL researchers are identifying strategies capable of offsetting expenses while helping utilities support peak electricity demands.
March 9, 2015
NREL Tool Finds Effective Behind-the-Meter Energy Storage Configurations
The Energy Department’s (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has used the Battery Lifetime Analysis and Simulation Tool (BLAST) to confirm that energy storage for demand-charge management can deliver attractive economic benefits. The analysis paired recent utility rate structures with historic data on solar photovoltaic electricity generation and commercial facility loads to evaluate 6,860 unique scenarios. The results revealed that, in the absence of incentives, small battery systems reducing peak demand by 2.5 percent offer the most attractive return on investment.