News

Melissa Lott writes for Scientific American that MIT researchers have created a device that generates steam using sunlight and does not require mirrors or lenses to concentrate the sun’s heat. The device could provide an “inexpensive option for applications ranging from the large scale (e.g. desalination and wastewater treatment) to smaller applications (e.g. residential water heating).”

The money will help pay for the initiative’s work on solar power, the electric grid, industrial batteries, and carbon sequestration.

Fears that electric vehicles can't meet the average driver's energy needs may be put to rest with the findings of a comprehensive MIT study covered by the Washington Post. "87 percent of vehicles on the road could be replaced by a low-cost electric vehicle...even if there's no possibility to recharge during the day," explains Prof. Jessika Trancik. Note: This research was partially funded by MITEI.

New MIT research shows that nearly 90 percent of vehicles on the road today could be replaced by electric cars, writes Amrith Ramkumar for Bloomberg. The researchers found switching to electric vehicles could lead to a "60 percent reduction in total U.S. gasoline consumption and a 30 percent decrease" in emissions from transportation. Note: This research was partially funded by MITEI.

Writing for The Guardian, Sam Thielman discusses new MIT research by professor Jessika Trancik and her team, which shows the technical potential of widespread battery electric vehicle adoption. Trancik’s research also examines the effect that a large-scale replacement could have on reducing U.S. transportation emissions. Note: This research was partially funded by MITEI.

A new type of electrical cell may displace the lithium-ion design.

As part of a new Undark Magazine documentary series on climate change, MITEI's Francis O'Sullivan and Harvard's Daniel Schrag discuss the scope and role of our fossil fuel-based energy system, an infrastructure so deeply involved in our everyday lives that we may not even notice it. O'Sullivan discusses growth and demand for energy in the developed and developing world.

Pumped hydro and compressed air storage can add value to renewable energy projects today, but that could change as wind and solar drop further in price

Writing for The Huffington Post, Loukia Papadopoulos shares five Donald Sadoway quotes that shed light on the future of alternative power sources and the innovators bringing that future to life.

The Council on Foreign Relations blog examines how securitization of solar energy can advance the renewable resource, as explored in MITEI publication "Solar Securitization: An Innovation in Renewable Energy Finance."

MITEI researcher Howard Herzog weighs in on feasibility of carbon capture in New York Times column Room for Debate

The debate around the closing of the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant in San Luis Obispo County, Calif., signals a broader conversation around power sources that could be crucial to the nation's energy future