Employees of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE)’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) were recently recognized by industry peers for their work in grid integration, industry advancement and electrochemistry. NREL was also named an Outstanding Large Company by IEEE.

Utility Variable-Generation Integration Group Recognizes Five NREL Employees

The Utility Variable-Generation Integration Group (UVIG) announced that NREL’s Debbie Lew, Greg Brinkman, Maureen Hand, and Trieu Mai are recipients of its 2013 Annual Achievement Award.

The award for Lew and Brinkman recognizes their outstanding contributions to determining the impact of cycling operation due to wind and solar generation on operations and maintenance cost and emissions of coal and natural gas plants in the Western Wind and Solar Integration Study (WWSIS). The award citation for Hand and Mai notes their groundbreaking contributions in the examination of electric power system operation with very high shares of wind, solar and other renewable power options through the Renewable Electricity Futures (REF) study.

UVIG is also honoring NREL’s Brian Parsons for his steadfast vision and strong leadership in managing the NREL wind integration activities and in promoting effective collaboration among the DOE, NREL and UVIG renewables integration programs.

The Utility Variable-Generation Integration Group, previously known as the Utility Wind Integration Group (UWIG), was established in 1989 to provide a forum for the critical analysis of wind and solar technology for utility applications and to serve as a source of credible information on the status of wind and solar technology and deployment.

SAE Names Rugh as a 2013 Forest R. McFarland Award Recipient

NREL’s John Rugh has been named a 2013 Forest R. McFarland Award Recipient by SAE International. The award recognizes individuals for their outstanding contributions toward the work of the SAE Engineering Meetings Board (EMB) in the planning, development, and dissemination of technical information through technical meetings, conferences, and professional development programs. The award honors the late Forest R. McFarland who was himself an outstanding session organizer, a chairman of the Passenger Car Activity and a member of the EMB.

Nozik Received ECS Heinz Gerischer Award

NREL Research Fellow (Emeritus) Arthur J. Nozik has been award the Heinz Gerischer Award from the Europe Section of The Electrochemical Society (ECS). The award recognizes an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the science of semiconductor electrochemistry and photoelectrochemistry including the underlying areas of physical and materials chemistry of significance to this field. The award is named after the late Prof. Gerischer to honor his immense contributions to the science of semiconductor electrochemistry and photoelectrochemistry, and to that of physical and materials chemistry in general. In addition, this award is intended to recognize the scientific leadership of Prof. Gerischer and his tireless efforts to promote scientific collaboration in post-WWII Europe.

IEEE Names NREL Outstanding Large Company

The regional chapter of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has named NREL an Outstanding Large Company. NREL has been recognized for its continued support for IEEE members as well as the objectives of IEEE. NREL Chief Engineer Dick DeBlasio accepted the award on behalf of NREL at the April 6 ceremony in Denver. IEEE is the world's largest professional association dedicated to advancing technological innovation and excellence for the benefit of humanity. IEEE and its members work with a global community through IEEE's highly cited publications, conferences, technology standards, and professional and educational activities. Region 5 has about 25,500 members of all levels and comprises 26 local sections, 186 technical society chapters, and 102 University/College student branches.

NREL is the U.S. Department of Energy's primary national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development. NREL is operated for DOE by The Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC.