Research area
Widespread electrification will be necessary to advance the energy transition. Many zero- and low-carbon energy sources can be used to generate the power needed for this transformation, but the right mix of energy sources varies by region and numerous factors, including weather, availability of infrastructure, policies, and more.
Electrification of land transportation, residential and commercial heating, and key industrial processes is one of the most effective approaches to decarbonization, as long as power is generated using clean energy sources. Right now, the available clean sources are primarily nuclear fission and renewables (wind, solar, geothermal, and hydropower), but the future may see a significant expansion of renewables and fusion deployed alongside microreactors. Although renewables (especially solar) and nuclear energy generated more than 40% of global electricity in 2024, clean power generation varies dramatically by region.
For intermittent clean energy sources (for example, wind or solar), a major challenge is supplying firm power to reliably generate electricity and respond to fluctuating demand. Although the economics of renewables integrated with long-term storage are improving, the rapid growth in demand for electricity, which is driven in part by the expansion of data centers and the adoption of electric vehicles, could continue to outpace the rate at which power generation from clean energy sources can be increased. Shifting policies also affect investment in and the economic viability of increasing power generation from clean energy sources.
MITEI’s research focuses on many aspects of clean power generation, including:
MITEI improves the performance of renewable generation technologies and optimizes their integration into the power grid to enable reliable, clean, sustainable electricity at scale.
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There are only two effectively inexhaustible sources of energy on Earth. It’s the heat content of the Earth, which is what we call geothermal, and it’s fusion.
People sometimes ask, will fusion come too late? And the answer is no, it won’t come too late, because the movement to clean energy will be happening throughout the century. But the sooner we get it, the better for the business, and the better for society.
MITx course: Sustainable Energy
Take our open-access online course, Sustainable Energy, to learn how to critically analyze modern energy technologies from engineering and socio-political perspectives and gain the skills necessary to help the world meet rising energy demand while reducing carbon dioxide and the other greenhouse gas emissions driving climate change.
Podcast: Hydrogen beneath our feet
As a clean energy source, hydrogen has shown to have a lot of potential. Hear Brad Hager, a professor of earth, atmospheric, and planetary sciences at MIT, explore the potential of geologic hydrogen, looks at some of the possible pitfalls, and asks what it might take to get more companies invested in it.
