News

James Ayre reports on the findings of a recent study led by Sergey Paltsev, deputy director of the MIT Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change. According to Paltsev's study, the EU's best path to reducing emissions by 40% is to expand their existing emissions trading system.

Writing for New Atlas, Nick Lavars quotes MITEI Postdoctoral Associate Emre Gençer on the relationship between renewable power capacity and renewable power production. "Due to the variability and intermittency in availability of renewable energy sources," says Gençer, "the installed capacity does not always reflect the production capacity."

BostInno reporter Olivia Vanni writes that MIT, Boston Medical Center and Post Office Square Redevelopment Corp. have formed an alliance to purchase energy from a new solar power installation. “The amount of yearly clean energy generated from the project is 146 gigawatt-hours, which could lead to a reduction of 119,500 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions,” writes Vanni.

MIT researchers have found that low-emissions vehicles are the least expensive to drive. Based on their findings, the researchers developed an app that helps consumers evaluate a car’s carbon impact, reports John Schwartz for The New York Times. “Consumers can save money and save emissions at the same time,” explains Jessika Trancik, a professor in MIT’s Institute for Data, Systems, and Society.

Writing for NPR, Rae Ellen Bichell covers new research at MIT that visualizes the carbon footprint and cost of the most popular 125 vehicles in the U.S. Chris Gearhart, director of transportation research at National Renewable Energy Laboratory, calls the study "exciting because it clearly shows how individual choices can make an impact."

Writing for Climatewire, Daniel Cusick discusses the “transformational blueprint" Massachusetts is employing to dramatically expand its portfolio of carbon-free electricity such as offshore wind, solar, and hydropower. Massachusetts has a "very innovative set of young and eager people who are looking to deliver change," says MITEI Director of Research Francis O'Sullivan on the role of academia in the state's success in clean energy development.

In an article on the role of batteries in the integration of renewables into the U.S. transportation infrastructure, David W. Smith, writing for Traffic Technology International, consults MITEI's Apurba Sakti. "Renewables are inherently variable in nature," says Sakti, "This is one of the biggest issues we are grappling with as we try to address climate change through higher levels of renewable energy penetration."

MITEI's Francis O'Sullivan discusses the potential of offshore wind energy in New England with WGBH's Stephanie Leydon on "Greater Boston."

Writing for the Wall Street Journal, Mark Muro discusses the role of carbon pricing. In forming his analysis, he cites MITEI research by Professor Valerie Karplus and grad student Jesse Jenkins that finds the "binding constraints" of politics set carbon prices far lower than the true "social cost of carbon."

MITEI's Utility of the Future study, which is nearing completion, "will point the way to engineer an ever more efficient, sustainable, and resilient grid, according to one of the principal architects," writes Martin Rosenberg for the Energy Times, who discussed the project with Raanan Miller of MITEI, the study’s executive director.

In Nature Energy, Carlo Cambini discusses MIT Energy Initiative research that provides a regulatory approach for integrating distributed energy resources into electric distribution systems, writing, "Jenkins and Pérez-Arriaga's method combines different state-of-the-art regulatory tools.”

In a CNBC article accompanying a recent video segment on MIT’s energy education programs, Anmar Frangoul writes: “As one of the world's leading higher education institutions, MIT is able to draw on a wealth of talent to further its reputation for excellence in sustainability.”