In the media

MIT professor develops concept for low-cost batteries with aluminium and sulphur

Donald Sadoway (Materials Science and Engineering) and a team of researchers from MIT and elsewhere have developed a new type of battery made entirely from abundant and inexpensive materials.

Teaching ‘selfish’ wind turbines to share can boost productivity

Research led by Michael Howland (Civil and Environmental Engineering) shows that coordinating the orientation of turbines on a wind farm can reduce the wake effect and boost energy production.

Radio segment: The Inflation Reduction Act incentivizes capturing carbon emissions

President Biden has signed the Inflation Reduction Act, which includes tax credits for electric cars and efficient homes, and also incentivizes pulling carbon emissions from the air. MITEI's Howard Herzog speaks with NPR about the new law's provision concerning carbon capture.

California’s move to ban sales of new gasoline-fueled cars could spread to other states

Last month, California banned the sale of new combustion engine cars by 2035. MITEI Director Robert Armstrong comments on the need to diversify the U.S. battery supply chain for electric vehicles.

DOE awards research funds for offshore nuclear generation

The U.S. Department of Energy has granted funding to the MIT Energy Initiative, Core Power, and the Idaho National Laboratory for a three-year study. The study will look into the development of offshore floating nuclear power generation in the United States.

Resilience of people and ecosystems under climate stress

MITEI Deputy Director Robert Stoner traveled to the Vatican to participate in a workshop with leading energy transition and environmental leaders from around the globe. The resulting paper recommends a powerful global response to climate change–with specific recommendations for mitigation, adaptation, and transformation.

U.S. oil refiners are doing well, even though gasoline prices are down

MITEI Deputy Director for Policy Christopher Knittel joins the Marketplace Business News Podcast to discuss “crack spread”—the difference between the cost of crude oil and the cost to refine it.

Future house, emerging solar technology

On an episode of "This Old House," home technology expert Ross Trethewey visits MIT.nano to speak with Vladimir Bulović (Electrical Engineering and Computer Science) about the future of solar technology.

NightSide with Dan Rea, “Code red for humanity”

In the wake of President Biden’s visit to the former Brayton Point power plant in Somerset, Massachusetts, MITEI Deputy Director for Policy Christopher Knittel joins Dan Rea on NightSide to discuss the transition to new energy.

U.S. solar and wind projects stalled in Q2. What happened?

Clean energy projects have slowed down this year despite projected growth. John Reilly, co-director emeritus at MIT’s Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change, notes that tax-credit deadlines last year could have incentivized companies to front-load their deployment efforts.

Feds must step in or renewable energy will have nowhere to go, says MIT report

MITEI's "The Future of Energy Storage" report calls for federal government support to help develop and build green energy storage at scale to enable deeply decarbonized energy systems.

DOE must look beyond lithium for 100% clean grid — study

MITEI Future of Energy Storage study emphasizes need for more types of energy storage to maintain reliability and control cost as electricity grids increasingly incorporate sources of variable renewable energy. “When we get to very high degrees of penetration of variable renewable resources, we're going to need to have long-duration storage technologies that make that last part of decarbonization more affordable,” says MITEI Director Robert Armstrong.

The Future of Energy Storage, with Dick Schmalensee

Dick Schmalensee (MIT Sloan School of Management) joins Resources Radio to discuss the key takeaways from the recent MIT study on the future of energy storage, along with related insights and implications for current and future policy.

Fact check: Energy costs of wind turbine manufacturing recouped in months

In an article refuting claims that it takes decades to recoup the financial and energy costs of manufacturing wind turbines, Michael Howland (Civil and Environmental Engineering) says that investors wouldn’t fund wind turbine projects if these assertions were true.

Radio segment: MIT is creating a digital twin earth to help model climate change

One of the five MIT Climate Grand Challenges flagship research teams is developing a digital twin model of earth to help predict how climate change will affect us.

To make commercial fusion a reality, MIT is joining forces with a Bill Gates-backed startup

A new five-year agreement between MIT and Commonwealth Fusion Systems greatly expands the partnership between the Institute and the leading fusion startup, allowing for the increased interdisciplinary work toward commercial fusion power plants.

These are the batteries we need to ease the power crunch

In a Washington Post article on the importance of energy storage in decarbonizing energy systems, reporter Anjani Trivedi highlights findings from MITEI's Future of Energy Storage report, including that a focus on short-term policy goals has limited research and development of newer technologies.

MIT research explores whether plant DNA can solve our plastic problem

Kristala Prather (Chemical Engineering) discusses her work using synthetic biology to develop new materials that function like plastic, but don't rely on fossil fuels and biodegrade when no longer in use.

Optimize rising renewables levels by increasing deployment of different types of energy storage: MIT

MITEI’s Future of Energy Storage report “provides a blueprint for supporting and using grid storage technologies—existing and emerging—to affordably slash emissions,” reports Utility Dive.

Can this MIT metallurgist clean up copper production?

Copper is an essential component in the clean energy transition, but purifying it is an incredibly carbon-intensive process. Antoine Allanore (Materials Science and Engineering) has devised a new, fossil fuel-free method that employs electrolysis to separate copper from ore.