Finding Solutions for Tastier Tomatoes, Recycled Carbon Fiber, and Better Battery Performance

About this episode

This episode explores innovative energy solutions involving tomato growth under photovoltaic light, recycled carbon fiber, and improved battery performance.

Disclaimer: This episode was produced when the laboratory operated as the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The laboratory is now the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR). In this episode, explore three ways NREL researchers are seeking out energy solutions: An experiment dubbed “No Photon Left Behind” examined if growing tomatoes under the filtered light spectrum of a semitransparent photovoltaic panels would make them grow faster, bigger, and tastier. The BOTTLE ...

Topics covered

• energy solutions
• agriculture
• photovoltaics
• recycling
• battery performance

Keywords

• energy solutions
• tomatoes
• photovoltaic panels
• carbon fiber
• battery performance

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: National Renewable Energy Laboratory, National Laboratory of the Rockies

Products: tomatoes, photovoltaic panels, carbon fiber, batteries

More episodes of The NREL Podcast

• Lab Notes: Alaska Heat Pumps and Workforce Development · June 10, 2026 · 14 min
• NASA Invention of the Year, First-of-Its-Kind Test Bed, and Artificial Photosynthesis · June 3, 2026 · 10 min
• University Partnerships, Self-Driving Laboratories, and Helping Airports Meet Growing Energy Demands · May 20, 2026 · 11 min
• We’re Back! Rooftop Sunscreen, Plant-Based Snowboards, and Cell-Free Biomanufacturing · May 6, 2026 · 10 min
• Improvements in Batteries, Trains, and Wave Technology · November 19, 2025 · 10 min
• A Dashboard for Trucking Efficiency, an HVAC Game Changer, and More Power With Less · September 30, 2025 · 14 min