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Two small-scale versions of three-dimensional photovoltaic arrays were among those tested by Jeffrey Grossman and his team on an MIT rooftop to measure their actual electrical output throughout the day.

A new dimension for solar energy

Innovative 3-D designs from an MIT team can more than double the solar power generated from a given area.

March 27, 2012

A model of a proposed wave-power system was on display at the Energy Showcase.

Big innovations for uncertain times

Seventh annual MIT Energy Conference features bold new technologies in the face of an uncertain economy.

March 20, 2012

Using tiny glass beads, the researchers simulated the way liquified carbon dioxide would spread through salty water in the pores of deep rock formations.

Greenhouse gas can find a home underground

New MIT analysis shows there’s enough room to safely store at least a century’s worth of U.S. fossil fuel emissions.

March 20, 2012

Tapered ridges, made from alternating layers of metal and insulating material deposited on a surface, can produce a metamaterial that is tuned to a range of specific frequencies of light. Light of different wavelengths is absorbed by the material at different levels, where the light's wavelength matches the width of the ridges.

Catching some rays — lots of them

New MIT design for a metamaterial could be far more efficient at capturing sunlight than existing solar cells.

March 9, 2012

Illustration of pathways around a bunch of islands

Sometimes the quickest path is not a straight line

New methods and software developed at MIT can predict optimal paths for automated underwater vehicles.

March 8, 2012

Preventing contamination in recycling

New study examines ways to prevent accumulation of impurities in recycling aluminum.

March 6, 2012

A clinic in the village of Bisate, Rwanda, the yellow building in foreground, was equipped with storage tanks to collect rainwater for use during the area's dry seasons. The corrugated metal roof was fitted with gutters to carry the water to several large collecting tanks, using a 'first-flush' diversion system to separate out the first, dirty water at the beginning of each rainfall.

In the World: How rainwater can meet clean-water needs

Rainfall can provide an alternative to polluted groundwater in developing countries, but systems are needed to keep it clean.

March 5, 2012

An artist's rendition of Earth's magnetosphere. A magnetic tail, or magnetotail, is formed by pressure from the solar wind on a planet's magnetosphere.

Mysterious electron acceleration explained

Computer simulation identifies source of aurora-causing high-speed electrons in space

February 27, 2012

Making droplets drop faster

New nanopatterned surfaces could improve the efficiency of powerplants and desalination systems.

February 23, 2012

Nanowires fabricated using the new techniques developed by Silvija Gradečak and her team can have varying widths, profiles and composition along their lengths, as illustrated here, where different colors are used to indicate compositional variations.

A new twist on nanowires

Technology developed at MIT can control the composition and structure of these tiny wires as they grow.

February 22, 2012

Professor Donald Sadoway and Materials Processing Center Research Affiliate David Bradwell observe one of their small test batteries in the lab. The battery itself is inside the heavily insulated metal cylinder at center, which heats it to 700 degrees Celsius.

Liquid batteries could level the load

MIT team makes progress toward goal of inexpensive grid-scale batteries that could help make intermittent renewable energy sources viable.

February 14, 2012

On this chart of a 'normal' distribution, showing the classic 'bell curve' shape, the mean (or average) is the vertical line at the center, and the vertical lines to either side represent intervals of one, two and three sigma. The percentage of data points that would lie within each segment of that distribution are shown.

Explained: Sigma

How do you know when a new finding is significant? The sigma value can tell you — but watch out for dead fish.

February 9, 2012

Lithium-rich and lithium-poor regions tend to form bands inside particles of lithium iron phosphate.

Revealing how a battery material works

MIT team uncovers a reason why the hottest new material for rechargeable batteries works so well.

February 8, 2012

Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering Tonio Buonassisi.

New tool for analyzing solar-cell materials

Website offers a way of optimizing solar cell materials and production.

February 7, 2012

A microscope image of the tungsten photonic crystal structure reveals the precise uniform spacing of cavities formed in the material, which are tuned to specific wavelengths of light.

Turning heat into power

A new kind of high-temperature photonic crystal could someday power everything from smartphones to spacecraft.

February 3, 2012

MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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