NREL Transforming Energy

Welcome to the Materials, Chemical, and Computational Science (MCCS) Early-Career Spotlight, a monthly feature showcasing the National Laboratory of the Rockies' (NLR’s) early-career researchers' interests, motivations, and achievements. This month features Melissa Kreider, who has been a materials scientist at NLR since 2022.

5 New Case Studies Add to Database of Geothermal Systems Installed Across the Nation Twenty-four locations have been documented in the DOE Geothermal Technologies Office’s Geothermal Heat Pump Case Study Yearbook. Green pins indicate the most recently published case studies. Image by National Laboratory of the Rockies The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Geothermal Technologies Office (GTO) has published five new case studies on a variety of geothermal heating and cooling applications.

Companies Will Pitch 200-Plus Investors at the IGF, March 31–April 2 in Denver 2025 Outstanding Venture winner Michael Solomentsev meets with an investor during the 30th annual Industry Growth Forum (IGF). Photo from Kira Vos The finalists have been selected, and the stage is set for the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) 2026 Industry Growth Forum (IGF) Pitch Competition. Fifty-two startups just earned the chance to spotlight their energy technologies in the IGF 2026 pitch competition.

Research Takes a Whole-System, Data-Driven Approach to Mobility Challenges NLR researchers gather at the Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board in January 2026. Photo from Venu Garikapati, National Laboratory of the Rockies The National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) is presenting its transportation and mobility research at the 105th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board (TRB), Jan.

How Paul Meyer’s Polymer Hacks Could Produce Tougher Cement, Safer Engineered Wood, and Less-Energy-Intensive Paper Paul Meyer. Image by National Laboratory of the Rockies Paul Meyer loaded the 10-foot-tall trebuchet onto a flatbed trailer—not alone, of course. The wooden medieval siege weapon weighed about as much as Meyer plus another team member on their Advanced Placement Physics pumpkin-tossing team. Hence the flatbed.

NREL analyzes manufacturing costs associated with photovoltaic (PV) cell and module technologies and solar-coupled energy storage technologies. These manufacturing cost analyses focus on specific PV and energy storage technologies—including crystalline silicon, cadmium telluride, copper indium gallium diselenide, perovskite, and III-V solar cells—and energy storage components, including inverters and batteries.

NREL develops innovative platforms and microbial systems for energy-intensive industrial processes—such as cement production, mining, agriculture, and heat generation for chemical production—to reduce costs. These innovations can provide robust bioleaching of metals in battery recycling, protein-based adsorbents that can concentrate or separate rare-earth elements, biomanufacturing food-quality protein, and biogenic calcium carbonate for high-performance building materials.

Get To Know Our Team: Andrew Duvall A conversation with Andrew Duvall, who leads NREL's Mobility Innovations team What does your work focus on? My work focuses on developing a greater understanding of how people respond to emerging mobility technologies and practices. With the rapid proliferation of innovative mobility options, this is an exciting time to explore how people view and choose new modes to meet their daily mobility needs.

What Are E2C Peer-Learning Cohorts? Peer-learning cohorts are multicommunity engagements that convene community entities around a common energy topic. Participants meet regularly for approximately 6 months to exchange strategies and best practices, learn in a collaborative environment, and workshop policy or program proposals, action plans, or strategies to overcome challenges.