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2024 Annual Report

Letter from the Director

Dear friends,

As the newly named director of the MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI), I am grateful to my predecessor Bob Armstrong, for the strong foundation of energy work he created; to Rob Stoner, MITEI’s interim director, for maintaining that momentum; to our researchers, faculty, and students who are passionately driven to advance the energy transition; and to MITEI’s members, who recognize the importance of this work and make it possible.

William H. Green

I took this role because I strongly believe we can stop climate change. MITEI has deep expertise in energy systems, technologies, resources, policy, and distribution. We understand the complexity of the energy transition. And we recognize the urgency with which it must happen. We are already making great strides transitioning from fossil fuels to cleaner sources of energy. Still, change is not happening fast enough. And success will only be measured in how much and how quickly we reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

MIT President Sally Kornbluth has identified climate change as “the greatest scientific and societal challenge of this or any age,” and has called on the MIT community to meet that challenge. MITEI, with our understanding of the science, systems, economics, and business of energy, and our relationships across academia, industry, and government, is answering that call with renewed vigor and purpose.

In order to succeed, and succeed quickly, we must all work together: universities and start-ups for innovation, government for policy, big companies for massive scale. Today, new clean technologies have difficulty competing with well-established processes powered by cheap fossil fuels, and big companies are reluctant to make major investments unless government policy reduces the risk.

Last spring, MITEI demonstrated how we can work together by bringing together the stakeholders in the energy transition for our Spring Symposium to explore the possibilities and challenges of obtaining cheap, clean hydrogen from geologic sources. This symposium exemplified what I believe is our best chance at success in solving complex challenges—gathering experts from all sectors, clarifying what remains unknown, considering pros and cons, and building consensus around promising technologies and how to advance them quickly.

Yet, with so many stakeholders, and such complicated energy systems, this work takes time. I believe we can accelerate the process of moving climate solutions from laboratory to large-scale commercialization by bringing these stakeholders together even earlier to discuss, develop, and fund solutions. As I envision MITEI’s future, I am focused on convening researchers, economists, industry, non-profits, and government to reach consensus on practical approaches to decarbonize our entire global economy as quickly as possible. Consensus reduces risk, and so encourages the massive investments needed to stop climate change.

While we develop these necessary advances, I recognize that to solve the climate problem, the entire global economy needs to change. We must all come to the table to address the challenges of every sector. With support from business and government, MITEI is searching for real climate solutions that the public will adopt, and that merit the huge investments necessary for wide deployment. Still, we must work harder and faster to transition our energy systems. For, it is by working collaboratively, and urgently, to solve these complex issues that we will successfully address the greatest threat facing humanity today.

Sincerely,

William H. Green
Director, MIT Energy Initiative
Hoyt C. Hottel Professor of Chemical Engineering

MITEI by the Numbers, FY24

Overview and Mission

The MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI), MIT’s hub for energy research, education, and outreach is advancing zero- and low-carbon solutions to combat climate change and expand energy access. MITEI is a crucial rallying point for MIT researchers and educators who share our vision and commitment to dramatically reduce emissions through the development of novel technologies and delivery of science-based analysis. Together we are dedicated to decarbonizing global energy systems and building upon MIT’s long tradition of working collaboratively and transparently with industry, government, and civil society.

MITEI and its member companies and organizations support hundreds of research projects across the Institute, including those awarded through the MITEI Seed Fund Program for innovative early-stage energy research projects. MITEI contributes to the goals of MIT’s Climate Project through these efforts, as well as by supporting technology innovation for deep decarbonization and providing techno-economic analyses to inform the successful scaling of low- and no-carbon technologies.

The Future Energy Systems Center is a consortium-funded research portfolio that aims to foster and inform interdisciplinary energy research across MIT, accelerating our progress toward a net-zero carbon future. The Center is another vital component of MIT’s climate action plan and MITEI’s research program. Usingtechnoeconomic and life cycle analysis to examine energy pathways in different sectors, the Center enables its members to explore and develop strategic energy plans, taking into consideration technology, economics, and policy. There are 37 Center members—companies spanning four continents and involved in many industries, including energy, utilities, automotive, semiconductors, mining/metals, chemicals, telecommunications, infrastructure, insurance, and engineering/construction.

The Initiative also delivers comprehensive analyses for thought leaders, policy makers, and regulators, such as the “Future of” study series, the latest of which is The Future of Energy Storage, published in May 2022. This report, the ninth in the series, focuses on the role of energy storage in getting electricity systems to net-zero by mid-century by making them cleaner, more efficient, and more affordable. Another series of reports, which includes Insights into Future Mobility (2019) and Utility of the Future (2016), examines rapidly changing segments of the energy sector.

MITEI leads Institute energy education efforts and has engaged with thousands of students through sponsored research opportunities and other programs—preparing the next generation of innovators, entrepreneurs, and policy makers to collaborate on solutions to global energy challenges. Energy education programs include the Energy Studies Minor, Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program in energy, short modules during the Independent Activities Period, an energy-focused first-year pre-orientation program, the graduate Society of Energy Fellows, and online energy classes open to a global audience. Faculty associated with MITEI help shape energy education at both the undergraduate and graduate levels by teaching, advising, and developing new curricula.

MITEI’s outreach efforts foster dialogue within the research community and across the academic, industry, and government sectors and provide the public with context on current energy issues. In addition to informing public policy through research reports, MITEI facilitates this exchange of information by hosting and sponsoring events and by supporting faculty and staff participation in external events. The MITEI communications team also develops content to highlight MIT energy researchers, students, and their work across print and digital platforms, such as MITEI’s website, podcasts and audio articles, and social media, as well as through media outreach.

Research & Analysis

MITEI raised more than $53 million in the 2024 fiscal year (FY24), with the primary objective of decarbonizing the global economy with zero- and low-carbon technologies and integrated energy systems supported by effective policy. The funding amount is the sum of multi-year commitments made in FY24 from new and renewing members. Research projects launched by MITEI in FY24 totaled $16.8 million. The areas that garnered the most new research support this year were basic energy science at $7.45 million and power distribution and energy storage at $5.2 million. The balance of this year’s research funding was allocated to support a range of other energy topics, including renewable energy, policy and economics, and built environment and infrastructure. With support from its Members, as well as numerous foundations, donors, various government entities (state and federal), and university partners, MITEI has supported more than 1,050 projects through FY24. MITEI’s work is guided by the use of advanced system modeling and analysis techniques to understand the climate as well as financial, economic, and social impacts of available pathways against the complex backdrop of the energy system as a whole.

MIT researchers are exploring a promising plan to use clean-burning hydrogen in place of the diesel fuel now used in most freight-transport trucks—a change that would significantly reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Photo: Gretchen Ertl

A team of MIT researchers and researchers from several other institutions has revealed ways to optimize efficiency and better control degradation by engineering the nanoscale structure of perovskite devices. Team members include Madeleine Laitz, left, and lead author Dane deQuilettes. Photo courtesy of the researchers.

MITEI Research Program Highlights

  • The Future Energy Systems Center: The Future Energy Systems Center , which examines the accelerating energy transition as technologies, policies, demographics, and economics impact energy supply and demand, awarded $4.15 million to support 22 new projects. The Center is now carrying out 43 system modeling and analysis projects. The topics range from the hurdles of small modular reactors for industrial settings to the interplay between H2 production and renewable fuel synthesis. MITEI kicked off meetings for each of these new projects at the Center’s November 2024 Workshop.
  • Future Energy Systems Center meetings and workshops: In May, the Future Energy Systems Center held its spring workshop to address pressing topics, including the role of bioenergy in the energy transition, decarbonizing buildings in cold climates, and the potential for nuclear power to play a significant role in the energy transition. It also held its advisory committee meeting and a student presentation and poster session.
  • Future Energy Systems Center webinars: This series of webinars has provided an opportunity to share information about emerging technologies, policies, and sustainability issues from MIT professors across departments. The webinars also provide a venue for sharing the latest updates on the Center-supported projects.
  • Funding for early-stage research: In FY24,  MITEI funded six early-stage research projects for a total of $900,000, through the MITEI Seed Fund. MITEI has supported more than 220 energy-focused seed projects with grants totaling more than $28.8 million.
  • Systems modeling tools: MITEI’s internal research team has made substantial progress toward further developing a unique and powerful set of energy system analysis and optimization tools. The Sustainable Energy System Analysis Modeling Environment (SESAME), a web application incorporating a growing number of features and capabilities for modeling energy system emissions and cost scenarios, is being used and expanded in projects funded by the Future Energy Systems Center and by industry. In 2023, the climate tech software startup Sesame Sustainability was spun out of MITEI, leveraging SESAME’s unique platform for technoeconomic and life cycle analysis to accurately evaluate industrial decarbonization solutions at scale. GenX, our state-of-the-art electricity system capacity expansion model for investment planning in the power sector, is being used in a number of Future Energy Systems Center projects, and by researchers and companies around the world. GenX was released as an open-source tool in 2021. A multi-sector expansion of the GenX model released as an open-source tool in 2022, the Decision Optimization of Low-carbon Power-HYdrogen Network (DOLPHYN), was used to inform multiple high-impact articles published in journals such as Nature Energy and Nature Communications.

MITEI funded projects in FY24

Electric Power-H2-CO2 infrastructure interactions in a deeply decarbonized energy system
There is increased interest in alternative approaches to decarbonize in end-use sectors where electrification-centric decarbonization is practically challenging, including: using hydrogen (H2) or derived energy carriers produced from low-carbon electricity or biomass or fossil fuels with carbon capture and storage (CCS), and continued use of fossil fuels for energy supply with CCS or negative emissions. These approaches also impact electricity system evolution. First, the electricity supply demand balance is affected by production of H2 from electricity, generation of electricity and/or H2 from CCS-equipped systems, as well as the use of electricity in other parts of the CO2 and H2 supply chains. Second, the spatial distribution in H2 and CO2 infrastructure is likely to impact investments in electricity generation, storage and transmission. Third, policy and regulatory action in the electricity sector are likely to impact the competitiveness of technologies used for CO2 capture and H2 production. Studying these interdependencies requires an integrated analytical framework that can model the operational interactions between the supply chains for electricity, hydrogen, and CO2 and their implications on long-term infrastructure needs. We propose to systematically explore the interactions between these infrastructures under deep decarbonization scenarios through an integrated energy systems modeling framework. We propose to use the developed model to study system outcomes for a sub-region of a regional transmission organization where H2 and CCS may be especially valuable.

Principal investigators: John Parsons, Dharik Mallapragada

Modeling and computation study for optimal expansion and operation of decarbonized power systems
The U.S. power grid has experienced a remarkable surge in renewable energy generation. This situation in South Korea mirrors this trend and the South Korean government has unveiled ambitious plans to develop offshore wind resources. In this project, we aim to acquire an in-depth comprehension of the complexities associated with expanding renewable energy generation. We aim to create innovative models for power grid expansion and devise computational techniques that can effectively address and solve large-scale power grid expansion challenges.

Principal investigators: Xu Sun

Energy efficiency behavioral experiment
The main goal of this project is to run a pilot study that assesses the potential of an experiment analyzing behavioral interventions regarding energy conservation on energy consumption in buildings. The pilot is conducted on the campus of the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos in Mostoles. The goal is to identify two to three behaviors that have a major impact on energy use in buildings and design a set of behavioral interventions to tackle this. Based on the results, the MIT research team will conduct power calculations. These power calculations aim to determine the number of buildings that need to be recruited for a future, large-scale experiment. MIT will analyze the building energy use data that result from the experiment and write a white paper targeted as a guideline for the implementation of a large-scale experiment.

Principal investigators: Christopher Knittel

Multi-fidelity floating wind optimization tool
Floating offshore wind technology is rapidly approaching industrial use on a commercial scale. Floating annual energy production (AEP) estimates have not been assessed in detail for ultra-deep environments, such as on the west coast of the United States. Mooring solutions at these depths will likely require synthetic cables, which present unknowns in terms of stiffness response, load-elongation, and its overall effect on turbine dynamics in a range of sea states. This project aims to compare floating offshore wind turbine performance between deep and ultra-deep environments and assess the increase of the AEP when synthetic mooring lines are used versus conventional catenary mooring lines.

Principal investigators: Paul Sclavounos

Realistic, scalable, and security-constrained capacity planning for reliable low-carbon power systems
Capacity expansion models (CEMs) have become an important tool for system planners, regulators, and utilities to identify the best power system investments and their timing, as well as to evaluate the impact of emerging energy technologies and regulations. However, current CEMs do not appropriately account for the scale and complexity of modern power grids. Notably, they can only model realistic electricity transmission physics or evaluate grid robustness for small grids and limited sets of scenarios, due to computational limitations. This has real-world consequences. Suboptimal planning and dispatch costs billions of dollars per year and in the worst case could lead to large-scale grid outages and associated adverse impacts (such as loss of lives). This proposal therefore aims to develop scalable CEM formulations and solution algorithms that consider both the non-linear physics of transmission networks and contingency constraints in planning low-carbon and reliable power systems.

Principal investigators: Dharik Mallapragada, Priya Donti

Fusion: Development of laser-based high-heat flux test stand
This project supports the design of SPARC in-vessel components through the design and execution of dedicated high heat flux testing at the MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center using a 1064 nm Nd:YAG pulsed laser. SPARC is a fusion device being developed by Commonwealth Fusion Systems and MIT to produce more energy through fusion than is required to generate that energy. Of initial interest are the testing of tungsten coated boron carbide samples. By simulating repeated flash heating during disruptions, the tests performed will determine if these tungsten coatings can survive in SPARC.

Principal investigators: Jerry Hughes

Evolution of environmental, social and governance metrics and their use in corporate governance for critical minerals
Critical minerals (lithium, cobalt, copper, platinum, Rare Earths) will need to be mined in much greater volumes to supply the clean energy revolution that is one of the 21st Century’s greatest technological and economic challenges. Mining, however, can cause significant environmental and ecological damage and introduce multiple risks to human communities that surround and depend on the mines. How can we obtain the benefits of critical mineral mining without causing harm but rather enhancing just and equitable practices? How do we reconcile environmental priorities with the economic and geo-political issues surrounding these resources?

Principal investigators: Roberto Rigobon

Toward enhanced microgrid performance: Benchmarking with existing operations and control on real world microgrids
Project description to come. Please check back for updates.

Principal investigators: Marija Ilic

CO2 migration along faults in carbon capture and sequestration projects: Field validation and stochastic modeling of fault properties
The geologic storage of carbon dioxide deep underground requires careful analysis of the geologic features of the storage site.  There are locations under the Gulf of Mexico that have the potential to storage large quantities of carbon dioxide, but detailed models of the geologic system are required to assess how much carbon dioxide could leak from the storage location via pre-existing faults.  In this project, available geologic data and measured properties of relevant geologies will be used in a physics- based model of the subsurface.  Because of the model must predict multi-phase flow through porous structures and faults based on the characteristics of the faults, the large and complex model must be run repeatedly over a range of possible scenarios. Thus, the project will work to develop efficient tools to quantify the probability of carbon dioxide leakage from a subsea geologic storage site.

Principal investigators: Youssef Marzouk, Ruben Juanes

Flexibility and firm power in future zero-carbon power systems
In this research we aim to understand how increasing amounts of solar and wind energy can be integrated into the power system while maintaining energy affordability and reliability. Our project aims to uncover how near-term and medium-term investment decisions regarding capacity expansion in the power system can best be aligned with a longer-term goal of a net-zero-carbon energy system. This project is focused on:

  • Using a multi-dimensional analysis to identify favorable technology portfolios that represent robust net-zero-carbon solutions under conditions of uncertainty in the evolution of technologies and energy systems.
  • Investigating the role of energy storage, transmission, demand response, supplemental fuels, and thermal generation in providing firm power and flexibility in zero-carbon power systems.
  • Advancing an approach to expansion modeling that identifies desired levels of detail and abstraction based on sources of uncertainty, research questions of interest, and applications of insights to decision-support.

Principal investigators: Audun Botterud

Identification of the best steel decarbonization options for different regions
Steel production is responsible for more than 2.5 gigatons of carbon emission and is one of the more difficult sectors to decarbonize. The options for decarbonization differ by resources available in each region and by the quality of the iron ore. This project is focused on:

  • Identifying the best decarbonization scenarios for steel production in India, U.S., China, Japan, Germany, Turkey, and Brazil.
  • Comparing the cost and emissions of low-carbon scenarios by the combination of BF, SR, DRI, and EAF based on the regional steel production market.
  • Identifying the best practical steel decarbonization scenarios by region based on cost, emissions, and demand.

Principal investigators: Guiyan Zang

Optimization for the joint resiliency of power grid and e-transportation
As both the electric power system and the transportation system decarbonize, their interdependence will increase dramatically. If managed well, this interdependency could also be a huge asset for helping enhance the resiliency of the two systems. This project is focused on:

  • Developing comprehensive optimization models for the joint planning and operation of the electric grid and electrified public transit systems to improve their resiliency and adaptability to severe weather events.
  • Studying the welfare and fairness impacts of the electrification of public transit system on different communities.
  • Studying how renewable resources, advanced battery storage technologies, and V2G could be used to support the growth of electric transportation systems and their resiliency.

Principal investigators: Andy Sun

Evaluating environmental impacts of hydrogen use and leakage
While hydrogen itself is not a greenhouse gas, any leakage of hydrogen used in the energy system has the potential to affect climate because of its atmospheric chemistry. This project is focused on:

  • Carrying out model calculations to evaluate the Global Warming Potential (GWP) and temperature impacts of potential hydrogen leakage in the current and future atmosphere.
  • Identifying key uncertainties in hydrogen GWPs for long and short timescales.
  • Evaluating the potential for hydrogen fuel use to contribute to avoiding exceedance of the 1.5 and 2°C thresholds identified by the Paris agreement for various scenarios of usage and leakage.

Principal investigators: Susan Solomon

The place of provincial and international trade in Electric Power to maximize the value of Québec’s hydro resources
Hydroelectricity has played a vital role in industrializing Québec, advancing development, and securing economic well-being for the Province’s citizenry. A strategy for Québec’s future economic development must consider how best to continue utilizing these resources. In the past, Québec has captured some value through the export of a small amount of hydroelectricity. Recently, as Québec’s neighbors seek to decarbonize their electric grids, several of them have looked to significantly expand imports of hydroelectricity from Québec. The MIT Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research (CEEPR) proposes to identify options for maximizing the value to Québec of its hydro resources focusing especially on how they play a role in the regional power grid, including the provinces of Ontario and Atlantic Canada, as well as the U.S. states of New York and New England. This will address a range of possible decarbonization pathways, alternative load growth scenarios, and the penetration of new technologies. The centerpiece of the analysis will be an application of MIT’s electricity capacity expansion and dispatch model, GenX.

Principal investigators: John Parsons

Opportunities for class-leading hydrogen sensors
Hydrogen is poised to become a key component of the energy transition due to the inherent potential to reduce carbon emissions as a replacement fuel/energy carrier. Although the initial hydrogen economy is presently limited to the industrial sector, a mobility market is expected to develop. Expanded material transmission routes and H2 distribution infrastructures will accompany this transition. The hydrogen cycle is susceptible to unintended hydrogen emissions in the form of venting, flaring, or leaks. Undetected leaks are a major safety concern, and result in economic losses. In addition, hydrogen is buoyant in air and has potential deleterious climate implications. Therefore, throughout production, handling, and transmission expanded infrastructure need to ensure incipient leaks are detected and eradicated. Conventional hydrogen detection methods are unable to meet the projected operational needs and new low cost, low power, hydrogen sensors capable of ppm detection limits or below are needed. This research addresses the capability gap between commercially available hydrogen sensors, and what is necessary to detect fugitive emissions, with a specific focus on achieving best in class detection limits, selectivity, response times, and operational limits with a cost structure that provides for large-scale deployment.

Principal investigators: Timothy Swager

Lithium extraction using a hybrid electrochemical thermal process
The rapid transition to electric vehicles and the ever-increasing demand for renewable energy are driving the need for large-scale energy storage systems to ensure a stable energy supply. Consequently, the demand for lithium is surging. Currently, lithium production is chemically intensive, requires extensive land use, and poses significant environmental challenges. An electrochemical lithium recovery system offers a promising solution, capable of extracting lithium from brines with high selectivity in a compact and efficient system. However, existing electrochemical systems primarily focus on achieving high selectivity in lithium separation, often producing low-concentration lithium solutions, which limits their commercial viability. To address these challenges, we are developing a hybrid electrochemical-thermal process that overcomes these bottlenecks and up-concentrates lithium. Our method eliminates the need for large land areas or chemical additives, reduces both time and energy footprints, is easy to deploy, and avoids the formation of byproducts. In response to the growing demand for lithium, our project aims to produce commercially valuable lithium products that can be directly traded and used in battery manufacturing. Furthermore, our system operates with a low environmental footprint while also enabling the removal and utilization of carbon dioxide.

Principal investigators: Kripa Varanasi, Trevor Hatton

Publications published in FY24

Electrocatalytic Properties of Electrochemically‐Polymerized Metal‐Phenolic Networks

Rural electrification in India: A wicked problem

Inferring Fault Frictional and Reservoir Hydraulic Properties From Injection‐Induced Seismicity

Uncovering the Network Modifier for Highly Disordered Amorphous Li‐Garnet Glass‐Ceramics

Rational Design of a Chemical Bath Deposition Based Tin Oxide Electron‐Transport Layer for Perovskite Photovoltaics

Time‐Temperature‐Transformation (TTT) Diagram of Battery‐Grade Li‐Garnet Electrolytes for Low‐Temperature Sustainable Synthesis

Global Commission to End Energy Poverty

The Global Commission to End Energy Poverty is a collaboration between MITEI and the Rockefeller Foundation initiated in late 2018 to bring electricity to the remaining billion people across the globe who currently live without it. The Commission is led by Robert Stoner, founding director of the Tata Center for Technology and Design; and co-chaired by Ernest Moniz, special advisor to the MIT President, professor emeritus, and former U.S. Secretary of Energy; Dr. Rajiv Shah, president of the Rockefeller Foundation; and Akinwumi Adesina, president of the African Development Bank. The MITEI team’s “Energy Poverty Index,” which measures the capacity of countries with substantial energy poverty to achieve universal electricity access by 2030, is now being considered by the World Bank as part of its overall energy poverty tracking process. The African School of Regulation has been launched at the recommendation of the Commission to help build electricity system regulatory capacity across Africa and is under the interim leadership of Ignacio Pérez-Arriaga, a former visiting professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management from Comillas Pontifical University in Madrid, Spain. The school is based temporarily at the Florence School of Regulation in Italy and opened points of presence in six African nations over the course of 2023.

Tata Center for Technology and Design

Entering its twelfth year, the Tata Center for Technology and Design is supporting researchers at the master’s and PhD level to conduct energy research in developing countries. Their experiences abroad inform their ongoing research with the goal of catalyzing positive social impact in the form of policy support and affordable products and services. Through support for these students, the Tata Center, which is led by Tata Center Founding Director Robert Stoner, advances its mission of bringing technical talent and experience to bear on the challenges of the developing world. Ongoing projects focus on the social and financial impacts of ongoing fuel price shocks in vulnerable countries, the greenhouse gas and social impact of lithium-ion battery manufacturing in Indonesia, and the potential of retrofitting coal plants in India as thermal batteries to support renewables deployment while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Education

MITEI supported 48 students through the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program, welcomed 9 new graduate students and postdocs to the Society of Energy Fellows, and enabled 35 students to go on three field trips in 2023-2024, all as part of MITEI’s role as an educator of future energy change agents. MITEI’s educational efforts are critical to its mission as a catalyst for tomorrow’s low-carbon energy solutions. Through its various programs, MITEI provides a robust educational toolkit to MIT graduate and undergraduate students, global online learners, and high school students who want to contribute to the energy transition. These programs enable students to take classes; conduct research in diverse areas, from energy science and social science to technology and engineering; practice their skills; become leaders; and network with peers and professionals. MITEI’s education team serves on various climate-related committees to shape the Institute’s climate response and work with MIT faculty members to develop curricula and act as advisors to aspiring and current energy students.

With a double major in mathematics and electrical engineering and computer science, MIT senior Elaine Siyu Liu is exploring the ways in which renewable energy and electric vehicles impact the power grid. Photo: Gretchen Ert

As part of a MITEI-sponsored field trip to the Netherlands to experience the country’s approach to sustainable energy, students received a tour of EnTranCe, a facility dedicated to researching hydrogen usage within the energy grid, at Hanze University in Groningen. Photo courtesy of MITEI.

MITEI Education Program Highlights

  • Graduate Fellows: With the 9 new graduate students and postdocs MITEI welcomed to the Society of Energy Fellows in 2023-2024, the Energy Fellows network now totals more than 560 current and former graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, spanning 20 departments and divisions at MIT’s five schools and college. This year’s fellowships were supported by MITEI member companies Chevron, Eni, ExxonMobil, and Shell.
  • Collaboration with GradEL: During the spring semester, in weekly interactive sessions, 14 graduate students from across campus were challenged to clarify how their work has potential impact and how best to communicate this. MITEI Education Director Antje Danielson co-taught the class 6.S640, “How will my research matter? Optimizing projects towards impact,” as part of the Riccio Graduate Engineering Leadership Program (GradEL). 100% of the survey respondents agreed that they are better able to talk about their research to different audiences after taking the class.
  • Energy Systems Team Practicum: MITEI piloted the first team practicum at Shell TechWorks in Boston during IAP 2024. For one month, 14 MIT graduate students and postdocs from 10 disciplines worked on four climate- and energy-related projects, relevant to Shell’s future energy portfolio. They were supervised by MITEI and Shell staff with input from MIT faculty and researchers.
  • Online energy courses: To train global professionals, policy makers, and students in research methods and tools to support and accelerate the energy transition, the MITEI education team has developed a series of open online courses (MOOCs) based on interdisciplinary residential MIT subjects. These courses are free and available in almost every country and have attracted more than 115,000 students. They engage critical aspects of future energy systems: load and demand-side management; economics and regulation; production, distribution, and transmission; and mobility. The courses include Sustainable Building Design; Sustainable Energy; Principles of Modeling, Simulation, and Control for Electric Energy Systems; Energy Economics and Policy; and Transformative Living Labs in Mobility.
  • IAP courses: MITEI offered two IAP courses in January 2024. “Leading the Energy Transition” invites energy leaders to share their strategies in accelerating the change to a net-zero carbon world. “Computational modeling for clean, reliable, and affordable electricity” offers a hands-on learning experience introducing analysis techniques to model and understand the role of electric power systems within a carbon-constrained economy.
  • First-Year Pre-Orientation Program: MITEI’s summer 2023 energy pre-orientation program welcomed 19 new first-year students to the MIT community. Activities included a visit to a wind turbine testing facility, tours of MIT’s Nuclear Reactor Lab and the Plasma Science and Fusion Center, a visit to a nearby sustainable farm, and sailing on the Charles (the original wind energy!).
  • Energy Studies Minor: The Energy Studies Minor allows undergraduate MIT students to gain an integrative understanding of energy and develop the skills required of tomorrow’s energy professionals, leaders, and innovators in research, industry, policy, management, and governance. Over 200 students have graduated with the Energy Studies Minor, including 12 graduated in 2024.
  • Undergraduate energy research: MITEI supported 48 student projects through the MITEI Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program during the 2023-2024 academic year, bringing its total of sponsored projects to 975.
  • Field trips to Europe: In August 2023, MITEI Education Director Antje Danielson took 9 undergraduate and graduate students to Denmark to explore renewable energy startups and visit the Danish Tech University in Copenhagen. In June 2024, she took 7 students to the Netherlands, visiting the Ports of Eemshaven and Rotterdam, Hanze University of Applied Science’s Center of Expertise Energy, Groningen University, and a number of companies involved in offshore wind and hydrogen production.
  • Support for student groups: MITEI provides financial and staff support for a number of student groups throughout the year. In FY24, these included the MIT Solar Vehicle Team, Electric Vehicle Team, StartLabs, SPOKES, MIT Motorsports, the MIT TPP Policy Hackathon, and the MIT Energy and Climate Hack.
  • High school curriculum: MITEI Deputy Director for Policy Christopher Knittel (MIT Sloan) has developed the Climate Action Through Education (CATE) program and associated interdisciplinary high school climate curriculum with the MITEI Education team in a supportive advisory group role. Read more in Affiliated Groups, CEEPR section.
  • MIT–University of Groningen faculty workshop: The MITEI education team collaborated with the MIT Catalyst Program on a faculty workshop in the broad areas of energy transition and healthy aging. The workshop was held on September 10–12, with nine MIT and 10 Dutch faculty, connecting with their peers, participating in structured experiences following the Catalyst/Impact methodology, and finding opportunities to work with one another.
  • Course support: MITEI provided support for teaching assistants in the following subjects: IDS.521[J]: Energy Systems for Climate Change Mitigation, 22.081: Sustainable Energy, 11.165: Urban Energy Systems and Policy, EC.711: Introduction to Energy in Global Development, and EC.712[J]: Applications of Energy in Global Development. MITEI also provided course development funds for 11.S188/11.S3953: Indigenous Water and Energy Planning.

Outreach

MITEI hosted more than 300 speakers on campus, presented 26 webinars, and hosted 10 seminars, all in an effort to inform public policy, foster dialogue within the academic research community, and provide the public with context on vital issues. Convening events throughout the year, MITEI hosts thought leaders from across the energy value chain. MITEI staff, faculty affiliates, and graduate students share their research and perspectives at domestic and international events. Staff members also participate in Institute-wide efforts on addressing climate change. MITEI’s communications team highlights the research and achievements of faculty and students through articles, media outreach, social media, podcasts, and other digital and print platforms.

Paula R. Glover, the president of Alliance to Save Energy, speaks at the twelfth annual Clean Energy, Education, and Empowerment (C3E) Women in Clean Energy Symposium and Awards on a panel discussing how to strengthen existing policies and implement new ones to accelerate decarbonization. Photo: Gretchen Ertl

At MITEI’s Earth Day Colloquium, World Resources Institute President and CEO Ani Dasgupta stressed that systemic change is needed to bring carbon emissions in line with long-term climate goals. “It’s not one thing that needs to change,” he said. “The whole system needs to change.” Photo: Kelley Travers

Outreach Program Highlights

  • Guest speakers: Leaders in policy, academia, and industry gave talks at MITEI-hosted events. Speakers included Yuri Sebregts, executive vice president of technology and chief technology officer at Shell; Praveer Sinha, CEO and managing director at the Tata Power Company Limited; Jeremiah Johnson, associate professor at North Carolina State University; Julie McNamara MS ’14, deputy policy director of climate & energy at the Union of Concerned Scientists; and more.
  • Spring Symposium: In May 2024, MITEI held its Spring Symposium bringing together researchers, industry leaders, and academic experts to address the potential of geologic hydrogen as an energy source for the future. Speakers included Mary Haas, venture partner at Breakthrough Energy Ventures; Dirk Smit, independent consultant and scientist; and Avon McIntyre, executive director of HyTerra, Ltd.
  • Earth Day Colloquium: As part of MIT’s celebration of Earth Week, MITEI hosted World Resources Institute President and CEO Ani Dasgupta to discuss how a just energy transition in key countries can lead to a global tipping point for a more resilient, equitable world.
  • Annual Research Conference 2023: The event brought together energy researchers, policy makers, and industry members to explore policies and technologies that are shaping today’s energy system and its future. This year’s conference highlighted strategies for implementing large-scale reductions in the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. Students from the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program participated in a slam, presenting their research to MITEI Members and conference attendees. Three of the conference sessions were open to the MIT community. These sessions discussed how large established companies will lead the massive energy transformation and generational perspectives on the energy transition, as well as a keynote on enabling commercial liftoff for clean energy technologies presented by Jonah Wagner, chief strategist in the Loan Programs Office at the U.S. Department of Energy.
  • C3E 2023 Women in Clean Energy Symposium: In September 2023, the twelfth annual Clean Energy, Education, and Empowerment (C3E) Women in Clean Energy Symposium and Awards was hosted by MITEI in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Texas A&M Energy Institute, and Stanford Energy. The conference featured award presentations, as well as diverse speakers—including the former White House national climate advisor and Environmental Protection Agency administrator Gina McCarthy, Janelle Knox-Hayes (Urban Studies and Planning), Amy Glasmeier (Urban Studies and Planning), and Elsa Olivetti (Materials Science and Engineering)—and rich conversations on pursuing sustainable clean energy goals. The U.S. C3E Initiative advances clean energy by closing the gender gap and increasing the participation, leadership, and success of women in clean energy fields. 
  • Energy Futures magazine: After 32 editions, MITEI published its final issue of Energy Futuresmagazine in Winter 2024 and pivoted to a digital-first editorial strategy. Since 2008, this magazine was published twice a year, featuring energy research and other energy activities at MIT. This work will continue on MITEI’s website on an ongoing basis.
  • Audio articles: MITEI produced and released a series of audio articles on the future of energy at MIT. Topics include new startups, novel energy research, event coverage, and alumni profiles.

MITEI news from FY24

MITEI’s Future Energy Systems Center launches 12 new projects to accelerate the energy transition

At their Spring Workshop, the Center kicked off a new set of energy projects, with topics ranging from optimizing energy storage to transporting hydrogen energy.
MIT Energy Initiative awards Seed Fund grants to six early-stage energy projects

From decarbonizing chemical processes to developing new types of batteries, the winning projects of this annual award aim to develop solutions targeting net-zero emissions.
Charging ahead

MIT senior Elaine Liu calculates how renewables and EVs impact the grid
Systemic sustainability

At the 2024 Earth Day Colloquium, World Resources Institute President and CEO Ani Dasgupta makes the case that systemic changes in a handful of countries will be critical to meeting global goals for greenhouse gas emissions.
Reducing carbon emissions from long-haul trucks

A novel approach to using clean-burning hydrogen
H2 Underground

At the 2024 MIT Energy Initiative Spring Symposium, experts weighed whether hydrogen stored in the earth might be a practical energy source of the future.

William H. Green named director of MIT Energy Initiative

In his new role, the professor of chemical engineering plans to speed up the consensus process among academics, business leaders, and policymakers for a successful energy transition.
Preparing Taiwan for a decarbonized economy

The MIT Energy Initiative and a consortium of Taiwanese companies are exploring how Taiwan can secure its energy future as the world transitions away from fossil fuels.

Seizing solar’s bright future

With laser-based precision tools for measuring and tuning materials, MIT-spinout Optigon aims to rev up the energy transition
Decarbonizing the U.S. power grid

A new MIT online model for regional planning calculates the cost-optimized strategy for specific regions under a variety of constraints and assumptions.
Promising designs for nuclear power reactors using molten salt

Selecting the right metal can alleviate the corrosion problem.
Six innovative energy projects received MIT Energy Initiative Seed Fund grants

Annual MITEI awards support research on carbon removal, novel materials for energy storage, improved power system planning, and more.
A delicate dance

Economist Catherine Wolfram balances global energy demands and the pressing need for decarbonization.

Moving past the Iron Age

Graduate student Sydney Johnson looks at how to achieve greener steel.
Introducing new students to MIT’s energy landscape

Pre-orientation program for incoming first-year students provided an overview of energy-related activities and research.
Power when the sun doesn’t shine

With batteries based on iron and air, Form Energy leverages MIT research to incorporate renewables into the grid.
EFI Foundation-led group selected by Department of Energy for hydrogen market demand project

Demand-side initiative brings together multiple stakeholders to explore market and policy innovations with new entity named the Hydrogen Demand Initiative (H2DI)
The future of motorcycles could be hydrogen

MIT Electric Vehicle Team builds a unique hydrogen fuel cell–powered electric motorcycle.
Yuri Sebregts speaks at a podium. Meeting the clean energy needs of tomorrow

At the MIT Energy Initiative Fall Colloquium, Shell’s chief technology officer laid out two very different potential paths for the decades ahead.

No time to spare

At Clean Energy Education and Empowerment (C3E) symposium, women rally to beat the clock on climate change.
How to decarbonize the world, at scale

The MIT Energy Initiative’s Annual Research Conference highlights strategies for implementing large-scale reductions in the world’s greenhouse gas emissions.

MIT reports of MITEI impact

Study suggests energy-efficient route to capturing and converting CO2

The findings, based on a single electrochemical process, could help cut emissions from the hardest-to-decarbonize industries, such as steel and cement.

To improve solar and other clean energy tech, look beyond hardware

MIT study finds system deployment processes have been slow to improve over time—but must be addressed to lower clean energy costs in the future.
Embracing the future we need

MIT Sloan Professor Andy Sun works to improve the electricity grid so it can better use renewable energy.

Empowering the globe to mitigate climate change through MIT courses

MITx and MIT Energy Initiative launch new series in sustainable energy, design, transportation, and policy.
MIT alumnus’ thermal battery helps industry eliminate fossil fuels

Antora Energy is commercializing a thermal battery that lets manufacturers use renewable energy around the clock.

3 Questions: How are cities managing record-setting temperatures?

Professor of urban and environmental planning David Hsu explains what municipal governments are doing as climate change accelerates.

MITEI Members

MITEI increased and diversified its corporate memberships, renewed several current memberships, and enabled 19 students to visit a member site to learn about large-scale industrial decarbonization through its corporate member program. With this program, MITEI facilitates collaborations between industry and MIT to research, develop, and accelerate low- and zero-carbon solutions for the energy transition. MITEI’s member roster is reflective of MITEI’s mission to work across the broad industrial spectrum of energy production, conversion, delivery, and usage. Along with financial support for research, analyses, and education, industry members contribute valuable perspectives and detailed knowledge of real-world conditions for practical scaling-up, deployment, and integration of decarbonization solutions.

MITEI draws on MIT’s research capabilities, innovation, expertise, and experience to create successful industry collaborations to meet its research partners’ key strategic objectives. A multi-tiered membership structure enables diverse private-sector partners to sponsor multidisciplinary “flagship” research programs with MIT faculty; contribute to energy-focused labs, programs, and centers at MIT; fund critical energy fellowships; support innovative energy concepts from proposals solicited across the campus; and participate in MITEI’s seminars, lectures, and colloquia.

Member Highlights

  • Overall, during FY24, MITEI’s net membership roster grew from 36 to 38 members.  As evidence of our efforts to diversify across the energy spectrum, we welcomed several key new members, including Vale, Liberty Mutual, and Taiwan Power Company.
  • One of the key activities for FY24 was renewing the memberships of MITEI’s major members, including founding member Eni and sustaining members Chevron and Equinor. In addition, MITEI welcomed Petronas as a new sustaining member and Type One Energy as a new startup member.
  • Building on MITEI’s mission as a hub for education, we facilitated a student field trip to ExxonMobil’s massive Baytown, TX, complex. Nineteen undergraduate and graduate students from across MIT toured this facility—one of the largest integrated petrochemical, ethylene, and advanced recycling plants in the world—and see their carbon capture pilot plant in operation. They received an in-depth presentation and discussion on ExxonMobil’s plans for decarbonizing the complex via hydrogen power and carbon capture.
  • Leveraging our power as a convener of multiple energy stakeholders, we dedicated one of our sessions during our Annual Research Conference to hearing from students about their concerns and priorities for the energy transition. The students were also invited to attend the other parts of our conference to observe MITEI’s interaction with corporations and directly speak with industry on important—and sometimes controversial—energy transition topics.
  • As members’ research organizations recover from Covid-19-related disruptions, they are expanding their sponsored research portfolios and we anticipate continued growth.
  • In collaboration with the EPOCH Foundation, MITEI launched Taiwan’s Innovative Green Economy Roadmap (TIGER) Consortium in FY23. The program focuses on engaging Taiwan’s industry leaders and MIT experts in developing a long-term robust roadmap for Taiwan in its transition to a green economy based on innovative low-carbon technologies. In FY24, two new members joined TIGER.

View the full list of members.

Affiliated Groups

MITEI collaborates on research and education activities with faculty members from many MIT centers, departments, and laboratories pursuing interdisciplinary energy and environmental activities. In particular, researchers from both the Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research and the Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change are working with MITEI researchers to support the work of the Future Energy Systems Center.

Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research

Established in 1977, the Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research (CEEPR) promotes research on energy and environmental policy to support improved decision-making by government and industry. It is directed by Christopher Knittel (MIT Sloan) and jointly sponsored by MITEI, the Department of Economics, and the MIT Sloan School of Management.

CEEPR carries out rigorous and objective research for improved decision-making in government and the private sector, and closely cooperates with government and industry partners from around the globe. Affiliated faculty and research staff as well as external research affiliates contribute to the empirical study of a wide range of policy issues related to energy supply and demand and the environment. A legacy of excellence in energy economics, enhanced with interdisciplinary cooperation across MIT’s schools and departments, informs pioneering research on pressing challenges in energy and environmental policy.

CEEPR produces working papers, policy briefs, and research input to larger, interdisciplinary studies, and hosts two annual research workshops at MIT. CEEPR has extensive previous and current international collaborations and has co-organized a series of international energy policy conferences, including partnerships with the Energy Policy Research Group at the University of Cambridge, UK, the Technical University of Denmark, and the Copenhagen Business School.

CEEPR houses the Roosevelt Project, a research initiative which takes a multidisciplinary approach to examining the transitional challenges associated with deep decarbonization of the U.S. economy. The project was initiated by former U.S. Secretary of Energy and Cecil and Ida Green Professor of Physics and Engineering Systems emeritus Ernest J. Moniz and engages a breadth of MIT and Harvard faculty and researchers across academic domains including economics, engineering, sociology, urban studies and planning, and political science. Phases One and Two are complete. Phase Three is currently underway and includes studies on long-distance electric transmission, strategic metals and minerals, and low-carbon steel in the United States.

CEEPR is also host to MIT Institute Innovation Fellow Brian Deese and his team. Over the past year they focused their efforts on launching the Clean Investment Monitor (CIM), which tracks public and private investments in climate technologies in the United States. Through this data and analysis, the CIM provides insights into investment trends, the effects of federal and state policies, and on-the-ground progress in the United States towards net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. It has already been cited multiple times in several high-profile media stories and used by the wider public in analyses and assessments of the Inflation Reduction Act.

Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change

In August 2024, the MIT School of Science launched a new center, under the leadership of Professor Noelle Selin, called the MIT Center for Sustainability Science and Strategy (CS3), incorporating and succeeding both the Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change and the Center for Global Change Science, both of which previously had been led by Professor Ronald Prinn. While adding new capabilities, CS3 aims to produce leading-edge research to help guide societal transitions toward a more sustainable future. Drawing on the long history of MIT’s efforts to address global change and its integrated environmental and human dimensions, CS3 is well-positioned to lead burgeoning global efforts to advance the field of sustainability science, which seeks to understand nature-society systems in their full complexity.

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