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June 2024
Safe and Fast Permitting Using NREL's SolarAPP+ Continued To Grow Throughout 2023
The SolarAPP+ automated online permitting platform instantly issues a permit for residential solar PV or PV-plus-storage systems if they pass an automated code compliance check, saving valuable time for local governments and solar contractors. In 2023, the platform continued to grow nationwide.
May 2024
DuraMAT Forecasts How New Photovoltaic Module Technologies Might Perform Over 20, 30, or 50 Years
For the solar photovoltaics (PV) industry, rapid growth can produce rapid—and sometimes unpredictable—changes.
Popular NREL Cell Efficiency Chart Now Better Presents Tandem Photovoltaics
NREL photovoltaics researchers created a new version of the iconic chart that tracks world-record photovoltaic cells across many technologies and time.
April 2024
NREL Researchers Outline Path Forward for Tandem Solar Cells
Researchers at NREL have prepared a roadmap on how to move tandem solar cells—particularly those that mesh different photovoltaic technologies—closer to commercialization.
News Release: NREL Proof of Concept Shows Path to Easier Recycling of Solar Modules
The use of femtosecond lasers to form glass-to-glass welds for solar modules would make the panels easier to recycle, according to a proof-of-concept study conducted by researchers at NREL.
March 2024
A Crystal Ball for Solar Modules
Historically, photovoltaic (PV) modules have demonstrated high reliability, making them a dependable and growing part of global decarbonization efforts.
Nextracker and NREL Partnership Inspires New Look at PV Tracker Industry Design Standards
Over the past year, NREL and industry partner Nextracker teamed up to advance the reliability of photovoltaic (PV) tracker technologies during severe weather events.
February 2024
News Release: NREL-Led Workshop Points to Path for Clean Energy Future
Participants in a workshop organized by NREL agree on the importance of mitigating degradation rates for the continuing rollout of clean technologies.
January 2024
How Extreme Weather and System Aging Affect the US Photovoltaic Fleet
A massive data set of photovoltaic system performance quantifies the small but significant impacts of extreme weather and long-term degradation, with important lessons for the PV industry.
News Release: Green Wheels, Bright Skies: NREL Analysis Unveils the Connection Between Electric Vehicles and Photovoltaics
People who own electric vehicles are more likely to go a step further and add solar panels to their home, according to an analysis of a behavioral study by researchers at NREL.
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Last Updated May 5, 2025