Renewable energy

Dennis Whyte, director of the Plasma Science and Fusion Center.

MIT continues progress toward practical fusion energy

In series of talks, researchers describe major effort to address climate change through carbon-free power.

January 24, 2019

MIT graduate student Caroline Sorensen earned a master’s degree at MIT in a MechE lab but is based at the Plasma Science and Fusion Center for doctorate work. “People are super excited about the future of fusion, and there is this vibe of positivity and hopefulness that what we’re doing is really going to make a difference," she says.

Tapping the MIT talent pool for the future of fusion

Excitement is rising in the push to get zero-carbon energy on the grid.

January 11, 2019

Associate Professor Asegun Henry is researching how to use superheated metals like molten tin to store heat from a concentrated solar power system, so it can be used to generate electricity as needed.

Tackling greenhouse gases

Faculty in the Department of Mechanical Engineering are developing technologies that store, capture, convert, and minimize greenhouse gas emissions.

January 7, 2019

A fusion power plant could provide clean, carbon-free energy with an essentially unlimited fuel supply. From the point of view of electrical power generation, the fusion device is just another heat source that could be used in a conventional thermal conversion cycle.

On the right path to fusion energy

National Academies study recommends a pilot fusion energy program that aligns with MIT's fusion approach and SPARC project.

December 21, 2018

MIT researchers propose a concept for a renewable storage system, pictured here, that would store solar and wind energy in the form of white-hot liquid silicon, stored in heavily insulated tanks.

“Sun in a box” would store renewable energy for the grid

Design for system that provides solar- or wind-generated power on demand should be cheaper than other leading options.

December 5, 2018

MIT senior and civil and environmental engineering major René García Franceschini

René García Franceschini: Engineering energy solutions for all

“The human impact that I have is equally, if not more, important to me than the technical rigor of the work I’m doing,” says the senior.

November 26, 2018

Photos show a solar installation from 1988 (left) and a present-day version. Though the basic underlying technology is the same, a variety of factors have contributed to a hundredfold decline in costs. Now, researchers have identified the relative importance of these different factors.

Explaining the plummeting cost of solar power

Researchers uncover the factors that have caused photovoltaic module costs to drop by 99 percent.

November 20, 2018

Jesse Hinricher, an MIT senior majoring in chemical engineering, has been conducting research focused on specialized batteries that could be plugged into the grid to provide renewable energy on demand.

Harnessing the power of sustainable energy

With a love for the environment that took root on his family’s farm, senior Jesse Hinricher aims to put less expensive components into more efficient batteries.

November 1, 2018

Based on a rigorous, integrated analysis of population and economic growth, technological change, Paris Agreement pledges and other factors, the 2018 Food, Water, Energy and Climate Outlook projects likely global and regional environmental changes over the course of this century and identifies steps needed to align near-term Paris pledges with the long-term 2 degrees Celsius and 1.5 C goals.

Charting the Earth’s future for the 21st century

MIT report highlights challenges and opportunities for conserving natural resources and stabilizing the climate.

October 11, 2018

The ARC conceptual design for a compact, high magnetic field fusion power plant. The design now incorporates innovations from the newly published research to handle heat exhaust from the plasma.

A new path to solving a longstanding fusion challenge

Novel design could help shed excess heat in next-generation fusion power plants.

October 9, 2018

This scanning electron microscope image shows the carbon cathode of a carbon-dioxide-based battery made by MIT researchers, after the battery was discharged. It shows the buildup of carbon compounds on the surface, composed of carbonate material that could be derived from power plant emissions, compared to the original pristine surface (inset).

New battery gobbles up carbon dioxide

Lithium-based battery could make use of greenhouse gas before it ever gets into the atmosphere.

September 21, 2018

New MIT research shows that, unless steady, continuous carbon-free sources of electricity are included in the mix, costs of decarbonizing the electrical system could be prohibitive and end up derailing attempts to mitigate the most severe effects of global climate change.

Study: Adding power choices reduces cost and risk of carbon-free electricity

To curb greenhouse gas emissions, nations, states, and cities should aim for a mix of fuel-saving, flexible, and highly reliable sources.

September 6, 2018

MIT Energy Initiative study reports on the future of nuclear energy

Findings suggest new policy models and cost-cutting technologies could help nuclear play vital role in climate solutions.

September 4, 2018

Xingang Zhao standing next to a mockup of a fuel assembly in a pressurized water reactor.

Making nuclear energy safer and more affordable

Galvanized by the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disasters, PhD student Xingang Zhao envisions a future with safe, efficient nuclear power.

July 10, 2018

“The best thing about being at MIT is that people are working on all these cool, different things that they’re passionate about,” says graduate student Prosper Nyovanie. “I think there’s a lot of clarity that you can get just by going outside of your circle and talking to people.”

Reliable energy for all

Graduate student Prosper Nyovanie wants to power off-grid communities worldwide with scalable solar electric systems.

June 12, 2018

MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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