Alternative Energy

Rep. Jake Auchincloss visits the MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center to learn about scaling geothermal energy.

MIT Energy Initiative symposium maps a path to tap the planet’s heat-rich rocks for clean power at scale.

Sophia Henneberg, assistant professor in the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering, is developing stellarators to harness fusion energy.

In STS.059 (The Bioeconomy and Society), students explore the social and political factors at work in the biology, biotech, and biological engineering sectors.

While the growing energy demands of AI are worrying, some techniques can also help make power grids cleaner and more efficient.

The FSNet system, developed at MIT, could help power grid operators rapidly find feasible solutions for optimizing the flow of electricity.

As the Norman C. Rasmussen Adjunct Professor, George Tynan is looking forward to addressing the big physics and engineering challenges of fusion plasmas.

The MIT Energy Initiative’s annual research symposium explores artificial intelligence as both a problem and a solution for the clean energy transition.

Youyeon Choi is leaning on her work experience in South Korea — a leading nation in nuclear energy — and her love of multi-physics modeling as she pursues her doctoral research.

Professor Jessika Trancik’s course helps students understand energy levers for addressing climate change at the macro and micro scales.

MIT study confirms the climate impacts of hydrogen, recommends leak prevention be a priority as infrastructure for handling this clean-burning fuel is built.

MIT spinout Electrified Thermal Solutions has developed an electrically conductive firebrick that stores heat at high enough temperatures to power industrial processes.

The MIT Energy Initiative and a consortium of Taiwanese companies are exploring how Taiwan can secure its energy future as the world transitions away from fossil fuels.

Assistant Professor Ethan Peterson is addressing some of the practical, overlooked issues that need to be worked out for viable fusion power plants.

Today’s regulations for nuclear reactors are unprepared for how the field is evolving. PhD student Liam Hines wants to ensure that policy keeps up with the technology.

The MIT Electric Vehicle Team, Sustainable Engine Team, Solar Electric Vehicle Team, Motorsports Team, First Nations Launch Team, and Arcturus are each doing their part to improve the health of our planet.

The approach could help engineers design more efficient energy-conversion systems and faster microelectronic devices, reducing waste heat.

Fourteen Edgerton Center student-led engineering teams displayed their latest creations, from solar cars to rockets to assistive eating devices.

The grants fund studies of clean hydrogen production, fetal health-sensing fabric, basalt architecture, and shark-based ocean monitoring.

Iwnetim Abate aims to stimulate natural hydrogen production underground, potentially unearthing a new path to a cheap, carbon-free energy source.

MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center will receive DoE support to improve access to fusion data and increase workforce diversity.

Kaylee Cunningham recognizes that her training as a PhD student in nuclear science and engineering could be for naught if myths continue to plague the industry. The activist is committed to helping — one TikTok at a time.

A new study finds system deployment processes have been slow to improve over time — but must be addressed to lower clean energy costs in the future.

Technology demonstrations show the machine’s major components achieve the required performance.

Florian Chavagnat seeks to answer fundamental questions about heat transfer that will shape the success of nuclear power plants — and extended missions in space.

The MIT Energy Initiative’s Spring Symposium highlights the vast potential of offshore turbines in decarbonizing the grid.

With the support of each other and MIT faculty, students in the MCSC’s Climate and Sustainability Scholars Program are making their impact on real-world climate challenges.

Branchlike metallic filaments can sap the power of solid-state lithium batteries. A new study explains how they form and how to divert them.

MIT Energy Initiative Annual Research Conference highlights both opportunities and obstacles in the race to a net-zero future.

A new approach sheds light on the behavior of turbulent structures that can affect the energy generated during fusion reactions, with implications for reactor design.

Graduate student Skylar Dannhoff discovers the collaborative world of fusion research.

Research Scientist Emre Gençer describes natural gas–based hydrogen production with carbon capture and storage, and the role hydrogen will play in decarbonizing our energy systems.

MIT spinoff Takachar converts agricultural waste into clean-burning fuel, and wins Earthshot Prize.

Assistant Professor Ariel Furst and her colleagues are looking to DNA to help guide the process.

Fusion physics pioneer and MIT climate change leader Anne White hopes to help “save the world with nuclear.”

Joy Dunn ’08 helps solve the world’s greatest climate challenges while creating an open and equitable working environment.

Hailing from a small town in Italy, Matteo Bucci is determined to address some of the unknowns plaguing fundamental science.

High school student Tuba Balta engages new audiences through her MIT internship.

This family of crystalline compounds is at the forefront of research seeking alternatives to silicon.

Study highlights pathways to cut emissions and lower climate and health risks.

Hydrogen fuel has long been seen as a potentially key component of a carbon-neutral future. At the 2022 MIT Energy Initiative Spring Symposium, industry experts describe efforts to produce it at scale.

In a residency supported by the Department of Energy, the MIT PhD candidate will explore the high-field side of the DIII-D tokamak.

MIT Energy Initiative report supports energy storage paired with renewable energy to achieve clean energy grids.

New five-year agreement will support SPARC science, increase graduate students and postdocs, and support interdisciplinary work toward fusion power plants.

Study finds activating a Clean Air Act provision could deliver major climate, health, and economic benefits.

Linking techniques from machine learning with advanced numerical simulations, MIT researchers take an important step in state-of-the-art predictions for fusion plasmas.

New study reveals multiple pathways for a successful energy transition by 2050.

Perovskite materials would be superior to silicon in PV cells, but manufacturing such cells at scale is a huge hurdle. Machine learning can help.

Power flowing both ways across the border offers a pathway to clean electricity in 2050.

After four decades at the Plasma Science and Fusion Center, Deputy Director Martin Greenwald embodies a brief history of fusion at MIT.