Alternative energy

Funding clean-energy solutionsMIT’s Clean Energy Prize awards more than $300,000 to support green startups and technologies.

Cleaner energy, warmer climate?MIT researchers explore the possible consequences of expanding biofuels.

The case for optimism about a renewable energy futureResearcher Eric Martinot presents findings of two-year project at campus event

NSE-led teams sweep energy innovation contestFuture Energy @ MIT pitch competition focuses on finding solutions to the world’s energy challenges

Sterilizing with the sunSolar concentrating system could replace fuel-powered or electric devices in remote villages.

Engineering cells for more efficient biofuel productionYeast research takes a step toward production of alternatives to gasoline.

A cooler way to protect silicon surfacesNew room-temperature process could lead to less expensive solar cells and other electronic devices.

Capturing energy from the sunMIT investigators are inspired by a deep-sea bacterium that is able to harvest tiny amounts of incoming solar energy with exquisite efficiency.

Michael Liebreich sees shift to cleaner energy as inevitableChief executive officer of Bloomberg New Energy Finance says clean energy will eventually be the norm.

Women’s impact in clean energy is growing worldwideMIT symposium highlights women’s increasing leadership in energy research, industry and government.

Double the benefits: clean energy also saves waterNREL-MIT study shows an 80 percent renewable energy standard cuts water use in half.

Powering the Chinese dragonChina Light and Power’s Peter Littlewood talks with MIT researchers and students about the country’s strengths and the United States’s opportunity to embrace them.

How to kick-start new energy technologiesThree-year study produces proposals for boosting energy innovation to meet growing demand, curb global warming.

Chu: New materials could be transformativeCiting historical examples, U.S. secretary of energy argues that the nation can still regain its manufacturing leadership.

IPC Forum on Energy InnovationNew ways of developing clean, reliable, affordable U.S. energy supplies

Major global increase in energy use, emissions predicted at MITEI colloquium

‘Conserve, conserve, conserve’A megawatt saved is better than a megawatt made, and there are plenty of ways to save energy without sacrifice.

Harnessing the Earth, the atom and the leafThere are many sources that can make a contribution to our energy supply, but likely not at a major scale in the near future.

Shining brightlyVast amounts of solar energy radiate to the Earth constantly, but tapping that energy cost-effectively remains a challenge.

Where the wind blowsHow far can wind power go toward reducing global carbon emissions from electricity production?

What can make a dent?Given the enormous scale of worldwide energy use, there are limited options for achieving significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

Everybody’s a winnerAutomatic window-shading invention tops a strong field of entries in materials competition.

Report: Natural gas can play major role in greenhouse gas reductionThe cleanest of fossil fuels, it is far more abundant than previously thought and can have significant impact at little cost, MIT study finds.

New battery design could give electric vehicles a joltSignificant advance in battery architecture could be breakthrough for electric vehicles and grid storage.

Teaching algae to make fuelNew process could lead to production of hydrogen using bioengineered microorganisms.

Institute teams dominate Clean Energy PrizeInstitute ideas win $200K top prize and all five finalist prizes, with variety of energy solutions.

MIT team wins Berkeley-Stanford Green Entrepreneurship CompetitionTwo MIT Leaders for Global Operations students and their MIT colleagues take home prize after pitching U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu.

Solar power, with a side of hot running waterNew system for flat-panel solar power could be combined with hot water systems for greater performance.

In the World: Turning old oil into new mileageBrazilian waste pickers gain an inexpensive way to fuel their vehicles using leftover cooking oil.