In the media

Green energy, EV sales are growing remarkably in the U.S. as emissions fall. Is it enough?

The Clean Investment Monitor database—developed by the MIT Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research and the Rhodium Group—has found that the “U.S. is generally heading in the right direction to achieve its energy goals to combat climate change, but it could still face headwinds due to siting and permitting delays, backlogged electric grid connection requests, and supply chain challenges.”

U.S. energy transition policy is leaving vulnerable workers behind

A new analysis—co-authored by MITEI Deputy Director for Policy Chris Knittel—shows areas in the United States with the highest concentration of jobs that may be most impacted by the renewable energy transition.

New York’s congestion pricing is a good start, but Boston can do better

Carlos Ratti (Urban Studies and Planning) explains how Boston can create an effective congestion pricing policy by learning from New York's and Singapore’s efforts to decrease the number of cars on the road and incentivize public transit use.

The future of hydrogen: DOE and Moniz start setting up a demand market

Former U.S. Secretary of Energy and founding director of MITEI Ernest Moniz and his Energy Futures Initiative Foundation will head the Hydrogen Demand Initiative (H2DI)—a consortium designed to create an organized market for hydrogen. H2DI includes MITEI, S&P Global, Dentons, and the Intercontinental Exchange.

EV battery breakthrough? Scientists find alternative to cobalt.

Led by Mircea Dincă (Chemistry), MIT chemists developed a lithium-ion battery with a cathode based on organic materials—rather than scarce metals—decreasing the battery’s social and environmental costs.

New-wave reactor technology could kick-start a nuclear renaissance—and the U.S. is banking on it

John Parsons (MIT Sloan) discusses the future of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs)—a nuclear technology that is smaller and cheaper to build than traditional reactors.

Opinion: Government support for electric vehicles is good for everyone

Jessika Trancik (Institute for Data, Systems, and Society) writes about the importance of government policy supporting the electric vehicle transition: “Policy is needed to make EVs widely accessible to people while the technology and markets continue to mature and, in this way, to ensure the process moves quickly enough to help slow the build-up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.”

We’re overhauling our cars in the name of energy efficiency—why not our roads?

Cowriting for The Hill, Randolph Kirchain (Materials Research Laboratory) discusses the relationship between road system conditions and transportation emissions: “Investing in a higher-performance road system is a lever within state control that will improve the efficiency and carbon emissions of all vehicles, regardless of how each is powered.”

EU energy and climate policy

MITEI Visiting Scientist Carlos Batlle discusses Europe’s energy crisis, their decarbonization projects, and the potential impact on international alliances.

How some automakers are still pushing ahead for a hydrogen-powered future

The current administration’s commitment to clean energy could be positioning hydrogen as the alternative automotive fuel of the future. While there are several ways to produce hydrogen, MITEI Principal Research Scientist Emre Gençer states that using water electrolysis powered by renewable energy would allow for widespread use at a reasonable cost.

For consumers shopping for an EV, new rules mean fewer models qualify for a tax credit

Jessika Trancik (Institute for Data, Systems, and Society) discusses electric vehicle emissions and ownership costs: “buyers should consider total cost of ownership, which for an EV is generally less than that of a gas-powered counterpart due to savings on maintenance and fuel.” 

Robert Stoner on Boston Public Radio Live

MITEI Director Rob Stoner spoke with Jim Braude and Margery Eagan about fusion, energy poverty, and MITEI’s role in combatting the climate crisis at MIT and beyond. 

Climate Change 2023: The future of heat

MITEI Principal Research Scientist Dharik Mallapragada discusses the role of renewable energy sources like hydrogen and geothermal energy, and how energy storage and electricity retail rates can meet energy demand. 

With few easy solutions to their climate problem, airlines rethink contrails

MIT researchers are discovering new ways to avoid contrails and minimize their impact on global warming. Florian Allroggen (Aeronautics and Astronautics) states that the exact impact of contrails compared to aviation’s total warming effect isn’t known for certain; regardless, “it’s a big contributor and we need to worry about it.”

Why COP28 is a gut check for the world’s fossil fuel habit

Michael Mehling (MIT Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research) discusses the impact of global climate deals on climate change: “The history of the Paris Agreement suggests that global climate deals do make a dent in emissions. But the impact can be subtle and felt over time.” 

10 climate tech innovations that give us hope for 2024

MIT researchers—led by Franz-Josef Ulm (Civil and Environmental Engineering), Admir Masic (Civil and Environmental Engineering), and Yang-Shao Horn (Mechanical Engineering)—created a “supercapacitator” using cement and carbon black that can store renewable energy. 

Scientists convert CO2 into clean fuel

Engineers from MIT and Harvard have developed a method for directly converting greenhouse gas into a stable fuel that can power fuel cells and generate electricity. 

The 100 most influential climate leaders in 2023

Time Magazine named Yet-Ming Chiang (Materials Science and Engineering) as one of the 100 most influential climate leaders in business in 2023. Chiang is the co-founder of Form Energy and Sublime Systems.

Don’t let the Heritage Foundation’s denialism ‘Mandate’ drive our climate agenda

Henry Jacoby (MIT Sloan) highlights the importance of addressing climate change in discussions of government policy. 

Inside the hunt for clean energy’s newest frontier

MITEI Principal Research Scientist Emre Gençer states that massive infrastructure investments may be needed to address the "mismatch" between where natural hydrogen exists and where it could be used.