In the media

The ’90s are over: 5 reasons to embrace carbon pricing today

Cowriting for The Hill, Catherine Wolfram (MIT Sloan) presents evidence arguing for U.S. politicians to embrace carbon pricing: “2025 will be a big year for Congress to tackle longstanding fiscal issues and further climate policy efforts.” 

“Once-unthinkable” ways we can cool the planet

Carbon capture and storage technologies can be used to address climate change, but MITEI Senior Research Engineer Howard Herzog warns they aren’t a “silver bullet.”

A growth spurt in green architecture

In the green building revolution, architects are increasingly using renewable, organic, and carbon-absorbing materials to decrease the environmental impact of their structures. “At this critical moment, what we architects do matters more than ever. [...] Every kilowatt-hour of solar power, every unit of zero-carbon housing, and every calorie of sustainably sourced vegetables will be multiplied across history,” states Carlo Ratti (Urban Studies and Planning). 

Solar hits a renewable energy milestone not seen since WWII

Last year, solar accounted for more than half of the nation’s energy additions to the grid—the first time grid additions have been dominated by a renewable source since hydropower during WWII. The growth of renewable energy projects is “very likely to continue because solar and wind are now very well established. Solar costs continue to fall far below where we ever thought they would,” states MITEI Director Robert Stoner.

Here’s where Biden’s climate law Is working, and where it’s falling short

The MIT Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research and the Rhodium Group have provided a new analysis of the successes and shortcomings of President Biden’s climate bill, with the biggest renewable energy obstacles being logistical ones.

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.”