In this episode of The NREL Podcast, hosts Kerrin Jeromin and Taylor Mankle take listeners across the United States to explore three very different—but equally impactful—stories from the lab, including:

• A look at NREL’s work with the Chilkat Indian Village to improve housing in Klukwan, a remote Alaskan village facing a housing emergency. Discover how retrofits, health assessments, and workforce development are bringing warmth and opportunity to the community.
• NREL’s partnership with regional quantum companies to develop benchmarks that could revolutionize energy systems, from the grid to storage.
• How even solar cells are better with salt. This simple ingredient is helping scientists at NREL enhance the performance and durability of perovskite solar cells.

This episode was hosted by Kerrin Jeromin and Taylor Mankle, written and produced by Allison Montroy, Hannah Halusker, and Kaitlyn Stottler, and edited by James Wilcox, Joe DelNero, and Brittany Falch. Graphics are by Brittnee Gayet. Our title music is written and performed by Ted Vaca and episode music by Chuck Kurnik, Jim Riley, and Mark Sanseverino of Drift BC. Transforming Energy: The NREL Podcast is created by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado. Email us at podcast@nrel.gov. Follow NREL on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Threads, and Facebook.