Clean Energy
Aussie scientists hit milestone in concentrated solar power
A breakthrough at a concentrated solar power facility in Australia could help make solar a more reliable source of energy in the future.
MIT design would harness 40 percent of the sun’s heat to produce clean hydrogen fuel
Engineers hope to produce totally green, carbon-free hydrogen fuel with a new, train-like system of reactors driven by the sun.
Japan sets new nuclear fusion record
A massive nuclear fusion experiment just hit a major milestone, potentially putting us a little closer to a future of limitless clean energy.
What causes lithium-ion battery fires? Why are they so intense? And how should they be fought?
When a lithium-ion battery fire breaks out, the damage can be extensive. These fires are intense, long-lasting, and hard to fight.
Study: ancient technique holds thousands of tons of carbon, sequestered over centuries
"Dark earth" holds thousands of tons of carbon, sequestered over centuries by indigenous practices, a new study suggests.
California utility will try to store renewable energy in iron-flow batteries
A California utility company is testing whether iron-flow batteries could be the answer to the renewable energy storage problem.
Reflecting sunlight to cool the planet will cause other global changes
MIT researchers find that extratropical storm tracks would change significantly with solar geoengineering efforts.
MIT students develop energy “mini-grid” software for remote & mountainous areas
MIT Energy Initiative spinoff Waya Energy helps countries work toward universal, cheap access to electricity.
Can we burn metal for heat, instead of fossil fuels?
Researchers are looking at ways of boosting the efficiency of burning iron so that the metal can be used as an alternative energy source.
NASA gives Blue Origin $35 million to turn moon dust into solar cells
A technology that autonomously fabricates solar cells out of lunar regolith just earned Blue Origin a $35 million NASA contract.