Energy

David White, founding director of the MIT Energy Laboratory, dies at 89

January 18, 2012

Here comes the sun

A new sunflower-inspired pattern increases concentrated solar efficiency.

January 11, 2012

Research Scientist Valerie Karplus (right) has been working with Henry Jacoby (left), John Heywood, John Reilly, and others to examine different policy approaches to motivating drivers to consume less gasoline in their cars. Using a specially formulated model based on empirical data about people’s vehicle purchase and travel behavior, advanced vehicle types (including plug-in hybrids), and more,...

Designing policies to curb fuel use, GHG emissions

January 10, 2012

Christopher R. Knittel, the William Barton Rogers Professor of Energy Economics, discusses policy options for addressing climate change during an MIT Earth Week colloquium in April 2011. Knittel holds the first endowed chair enabled by MITEI in order to recruit faculty in key disciplines for MIT energy research and education.

Knittel named first energy faculty chair at MIT

January 5, 2012

Illustration of three white cars in a line, against a black background.

The case of the missing gas mileage

Automakers 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.

January 4, 2012

Diverse microorganisms undergoing growth and reproduction. As organisms evolved from simple prokaryotes to unicellular eukaryotes to multicellular organisms their strategies for internal energy partitioning dramatically changed as illustrated by a recent mathematical model.

Microbe metabolism

For the smallest organisms, size determines how microbes spend energy.

January 4, 2012

A shale gas revolution?

MIT report shows prosperous shale gas market could hurt future R&D, if we let it.

January 3, 2012

Richard Lester, the Japan Steel Industry Professor of Nuclear Science and Engineering and head of the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering.

How to kick-start new energy technologies

Three-year study produces proposals for boosting energy innovation to meet growing demand, curb global warming.

December 22, 2011

Junior Alix de Monts, center, chair of the Undergraduate Association (UA) Sustainability Committee and undergraduate representative on the Campus Energy Task Force, provides an update on the UA's spring 2011 exchange of 1,000 compact-fluorescent light bulbs for incandescent bulbs in student dorms.

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

December 21, 2011

Need a new material? New tool can help

Exhaustive reference system and interactive toolkit could revolutionize materials research, potentially enabling new types of manufacturing.

December 20, 2011

MIT President Susan Hockfield and Executive Vice President and Treasurer Israel Ruiz check out under the hood of the new 2011 Ford Transit electric vehicle. The motor is electrically powered and contains a liquid cooled 28 kWh lithium-ion battery pack with internal sensors and controller.

Using wheels to reduce a carbon footprint

Facilities' new electric vehicle is powered by a battery and generates no emissions.

December 19, 2011

From left to right: Francis Chen, Katherine Lee, and Priyanka Chatterjee, all first-year students, participate in 'Discover Energy: Learn, Think, Apply,' MITEI's freshman pre-orientation program held in August. In the activity shown here, the team works with a set of insulating and sealing materials and a lunchbox that has been retrofitted with an interior light bulb and thermometer. Each team con...

Energy Education Task Force marks five-year surge in energy focused offerings

Nearly $9 million raised for curriculum development so far.

December 13, 2011

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

December 7, 2011

Congressman Chris Murphy (in yellow hard hat) listens to MIT alumnus Reiner Beeuwkes during his visit to the Alcator C-Mod cell. He was also accompanied by PSFC Director Miklos Porkolab (foreground left), Alcator Project Head Earl Marmar and Associate Director Martin Greenwald (foreground right).

Two congressmen visit the Plasma Science and Fusion Center

December 6, 2011

Carbon capture? Go for the source

New analysis shows pulling CO₂ from the air would not be cost-effective in the foreseeable future.