3 Questions: Shedding light on why power grids go dark
Pablo Duenas-Martinez, a MITEI research scientist, describes the “death spiral” of events that caused the 12-hour Iberian peninsula power outage in 2025, and five lessons learned.
Helping power-system planners prepare for an unknown future
Macro, a modeling tool developed by the MIT Energy Initiative, enables energy-system planners to explore options for developing infrastructure to support decarbonized, reliable, and low-cost power grids.
How artificial intelligence can help achieve a clean energy future
AI supports the clean energy transition as it manages power grid operations, helps plan infrastructure investments, guides development of novel materials, and more.
MIT Energy Initiative conference spotlights research priorities amidst a changing energy landscape
Industry leaders agree collaboration is key to advancing critical technologies.
MIT Energy Initiative launches Data Center Power Forum
MIT faculty and MITEI member company experts address power demand from data centers.
Fighting for the health of the planet with AI
Assistant Professor Priya Donti’s research applies machine learning to optimize renewable energy.
Power-outage exercises strengthen the resilience of US bases
Now mandated by law, Lincoln Laboratory’s blackout drills are improving national security and ensuring mission readiness.
Learning how to predict rare kinds of failures
Researchers are developing algorithms to predict failures when automation meets the real world in areas like air traffic scheduling or autonomous vehicles.
Using liquid air for grid-scale energy storage
New research finds liquid air energy storage could be the lowest-cost option for ensuring a continuous power supply on a future grid dominated by carbon-free but intermittent sources of electricity.
Taking the “training wheels” off clean energy
At the 2025 MIT Energy Conference, energy leaders from around the world discussed how to make green technologies competitive with fossil fuels.
How hard is it to prevent recurring blackouts in Puerto Rico?
Using the island as a model, researchers demonstrate the “DyMonDS” framework can improve resiliency to extreme weather and ease the integration of new resources.
Atmospheric observations in China show rise in emissions of a potent greenhouse gas
Global warming potential of sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) is more than 24,000 times that of carbon dioxide.
To decarbonize the chemical industry, electrify it
Researchers urge industry and the research community to explore electrification pathways to reduce chemical industry emissions.
Preparing global online learners for the clean energy transition
MIT Energy Initiative edX course asks students to rethink how we operate power systems.
Can US states afford to meet net-zero emissions targets by 2050?
In the Northeast, Canadian hydropower could make it so.