Spotlights: Innovations

A new approach to cleaner coal plants

Researchers at MIT have shown the benefits of a new approach toward eliminating carbon dioxide emissions at coal-burning power plants. Posted 24 September 2009

Nuclear power plants: Shaping new fuels for higher efficiency

MIT researchers have created innovative designs for nuclear fuels that could boost the amount of energy extracted from a given volume of fuel by 30–50 percent, while reducing the cost of electricity by as much as 7 percent. Posted 12 August 2009

A new approach to engineering for extreme environments

An MIT materials scientist is developing nanocomposite materials that can endure extreme conditions such as radiation, high temperatures, and extreme mechanical loading for use in energy applications. His first target is radiation-resistant materials, which could improve the efficiency and safety of nuclear power plants. Posted 8 July 2009

MIT virus battery could power cars, electronic devices

For the first time, MIT researchers have shown they can genetically engineer viruses to build both the positively and negatively charged ends of a lithium-ion battery. The new virus-produced batteries have the same energy capacity and power performance as state-of-the-art rechargeable batteries being considered to power plug-in hybrid cars, and they could also be used to power a range of personal electronic devices. Posted 2 April 2009

Battery material for rapid recharging of devices

MIT engineers have created a kind of beltway that allows for the rapid transit of electrical energy through a well-known battery material, an advance that could usher in smaller, lighter batteries that could recharge in seconds rather than hours. Posted 19 March 2009

MIT mapping technology aims to improve oil extraction

MIT researchers have developed technology that can generate realistic-looking, comprehensive maps of underground oil reservoirs using measurements from scattered oil wells. These maps would be the first to provide enough detail about an oil reservoir to guide oil recovery in the field in real time. The impact could be a significant increase in the amount of oil extracted. Posted 16 January 2009

New MIT tool could aid safe underground storage of carbon dioxide

One approach to mitigating global warming calls for capturing greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide at the source—an electric power plant, for example—and then injecting them underground. Now MIT engineers have come up with a new software tool to determine how much CO2 can be sequestered safely in geological formations. Posted 4 December 2008

MIT proposes near-term approach to make coal plants more climate-friendly

An MIT analysis suggests an approach to carbon capture that could restart the now-stalled construction of new coal-fired power plants in the U.S. while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and furthering the development of the technology. Posted 17 November 2008

Team takes first atomic-scale compositional images of fuel-cell nanoparticles

In a step toward developing better fuel cells for electric cars and more, engineers at MIT and two other institutions have taken the first images of individual atoms on and near the surface of nanoparticles key to the eco-friendly energy storage devices. Posted 29 October 2008

Team develops energy-efficient microchip

Researchers at MIT and Texas Instruments have designed a new chip for portable electronics that could be up to 10 times more energy-efficient than present technology. Given its reduced power consumption, the new chip could lead to cell phones, handheld computers, and remote sensors that last far longer when running from a battery. Posted 12 March 2008

Thermoelectric materials are one key to energy savings

Breathing new life into an old idea, MIT researchers are developing innovative materials for controlling temperatures that could lead to substantial energy savings by allowing more efficient car engines, photovoltaic cells, and electronic devices. Posted 11 December 2007

Rechargeable batteries: nanoscale clues to higher power

A major challenge for experts working to develop better rechargeable batteries is finding a way to speed up the flow of electricity into and out of the battery. Recent research findings from MIT provide atomic-level insights into what limits that flow — and why fabricating electrodes from nanoscale particles eases the problem. Posted 28 November 2007

Nanotech + nuclear = more electricity

MIT researchers have a recipe for getting 20 percent more electricity out of today's nuclear power plants. The key ingredient: a sprinkling of tiny particles added to the water that takes heat from the hot nuclear fuel to the power-generating equipment. Posted 5 April 2007

Storing carbon dioxide safely underground

A new analysis led by an MIT scientist describes a mechanism for injecting carbon dioxide captured from power plants into briny porous rock deep underground, where it will be trapped naturally as tiny bubbles. Posted 22 March 2007

Energy-efficient lighting: bringing daylight indoors

By combining a tilting platform, an acrylic dome, and a light source that mimics the sun, MIT researchers are creating a device that will help manufacturers design window systems that bring more daylight into buildings while controlling incoming solar radiation. The result should be significant energy savings and more contented occupants. Posted 8 March 2007

MIT math model could aid natural gas production

MIT engineers have developed a mathematical model that could help energy companies produce natural gas more efficiently and ensure a more reliable supply of this valuable fuel. Posted 11 January 2007

Acoustic data may reveal hidden gas, oil supplies

Just as doctors use ultrasound to image internal organs and unborn babies, MIT Earth Resources Laboratory researchers listen to the echoing language of rocks to map what's going on tens of thousands of feet below the Earth's surface. Posted 21 December 2006

Saying goodbye to batteries

Researchers at MIT are developing a new device that has the potential to hold as much energy as a conventional battery but could be recharged in seconds rather than hours, would last almost indefinitely, and won't mind the cold. Posted 19 October 2006

Efficient photovoltaic power — without the sun

MIT researchers are devising an electricity-producing device that would let resting truck drivers run the lights and air conditioners inside their cabs without keeping their big rigs idling all night. The new device is a high-tech combination of a small flame and a power-generating solar cell. Posted 29 September 2006

Engine on a chip promises to best the battery

MIT researchers are putting a tiny gas-turbine engine inside a silicon chip about the size of a quarter. The resulting device could run 10 times longer than a battery of the same weight can, powering laptops, cell phones, radios, and other electronic devices. Posted 15 September 2006

Engineering viruses: using biology to assemble materials, devices

MIT Professor Angela Belcher of materials science and engineering and bioengineering has an army of specially trained workers who have built — molecule by molecule — a small, flexible rechargeable battery. Posted 11 August 2006

Clicking together a small, safe nuclear power plant

Building a nuclear power plant can take decades — unless you follow a plan devised by MIT Professor Andrew Kadak of nuclear engineering. He likens his approach to building with Lego blocks: a small, meltdown-proof power plant would be made by "clicking together" prefabricated modules at building sites, cutting traditional construction time and costs in half. Posted 23 May 2006

Hold the AC

Operating commercial buildings consumes a sixth of all the energy used in the western world. Getting rid of air conditioning could cut that consumption by as much as a third — but people can't work in sweltering heat. Posted 3 May 2006