News

Donald Sadoway, professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, explains the benefits of battery storage in an Associated Press article about energy storage in Arizona.

Ernest Moniz, former U.S. Secretary of Energy and founding director of MITEI, writes about the broad principles of his concept for a Green Real Deal. This plan would translate the aspirations of a Green New Deal for socially just greenhouse gas reductions into action within the constraints of technical, cost, and social realities.

MIT President Emerita Susan Hockfield talks about topics in energy and founding MITEI on Vox's Podcast, Recode Decode.

National Geographic reporter Michael Greshko writes about a new effort by researchers from a number of institutions, including MIT, to reassess the possibility of cold fusion. Prof. Yet-Ming Chiang explains that he hopes to be able to create a “‘reference experiment’ for other labs to also advance research into lower-energy nuclear physics.”

Profs. Michael Strano and Sheila Kennedy have developed an exhibit for the Cooper Hewitt Design Triennial, which explores how Strano’s glowing plant research could be part of a sustainable energy future. “The pair is one of 62 design teams involved in the [Triennial], which highlights innovative ways humans are engaging with nature,” writes Emily Matchar for Smithsonian.

Research from Kripa Varanasi and other MIT researchers yields a slippery surface for liquids, which promotes droplet formation to facilitate heat transfer. This surface treatment could lead to efficiency improvements in industrial processes like refrigeration.

In an article on effective climate change fighting technologies, Bill Gates mentions a study published by MIT researchers on Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS).

Apurba Sakti, MITEI research scientist, says that a combination of policies and incentives has accelerated the transition to EVs in Norway.

Strings of plastic balls dangled in the ocean could harvest enough cobalt for hundreds of thousands of electric car batteries. The heavy metal is a key battery ingredient, but onshore reserves are running low. So engineers from MIT want to mine it from brine.

In Forbes opinion piece, MIT research scientist and "Mobility of the Future" study member Bryan Reimer says driver attention and behavior remain critical elements.

Isobutanol has been hailed as a possible green replacement for fossil fuels like gasoline, but producing it has proven difficult and costly. In a paper in Nature Communications, researchers from MIT and WPI show how a novel process may make producing this and other biofuels more economical.

Researchers Daniel Cohn and Leslie Bromberg have developed a concept for a new hybrid, flex-fuel truck with the potential to drastically reduce the gas emissions of traditional diesel trucks