Energy

Turning heat into powerA new kind of high-temperature photonic crystal could someday power everything from smartphones to spacecraft.

Harnessing nature’s solar cellsPhotovoltaic panels made from plant material could become a cheap, easy alternative to traditional solar cells.

Driving the greenNew study suggests that electric-powered trucks will save money for businesses.

Jake Whitcomb, SDM '12: Sustainability Requires Systems Engineering

For businesses, going green brings in greenbacksStudy finds manufacturers leading the drive to make sustainability a mainstream — and profitable — business practice.

Solving energy problems, one molecule at a timeMaterials scientist explores new possibilities in topics from molecules to rooftop solar panels.

Emilio Baglietto: Better reactors grow from better simulations

Seminar challenges with systems approach to climate changeEnergy Systems and Climate Change Mitigation tackles the multidimensional challenges of climate change.

Here comes the sunA new sunflower-inspired pattern increases concentrated solar efficiency.

Designing policies to curb fuel use, GHG emissions

Knittel named first energy faculty chair at MIT

The case of the missing gas mileageAutomakers have made great strides in fuel efficiency in recent decades — but the mileage numbers of individual vehicles have barely increased. An MIT economist explains the conundrum.

Microbe metabolismFor the smallest organisms, size determines how microbes spend energy.

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

Five-year effort by Campus Energy Task Force saves MIT millions of dollars, kilowatt-hours

Need a new material? New tool can helpExhaustive reference system and interactive toolkit could revolutionize materials research, potentially enabling new types of manufacturing.

Using wheels to reduce a carbon footprintFacilities' new electric vehicle is powered by a battery and generates no emissions.

Energy Education Task Force marks five-year surge in energy focused offeringsNearly $9 million raised for curriculum development so far.

Nobel laureate: Long path to economic renewal, but energy innovation could help

Two congressmen visit the Plasma Science and Fusion Center

Carbon capture? Go for the sourceNew analysis shows pulling CO₂ from the air would not be cost-effective in the foreseeable future.

With changes, the grid can take itMIT report shows that with new policies, U.S. electric grid could handle expected influx of electric cars and wind and solar generation.

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

Materials research in the Information AgeMIT, Lawrence Berkeley launch new tool to calculate properties of new materials

Highly efficient oxygen catalyst foundNew catalyst, made of inexpensive and abundant materials, could prove useful in rechargeable batteries and hydrogen-fuel production.

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