Tag: Energy

Physicists Propose Way to Harvest Incredible Energy From Black Holes In Wild Paper

Image: MARK GARLICK/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY via getty Images ABSTRACT breaks down mind-bending scientific research, future tech, new discoveries, and major breakthroughs. Researchers from Tianjin University in China have proposed a way to turn tiny black holes into batteries and nuclear reactors. They published their calculations in the peer-reviewed journal Physics Review D.  In their out-there study, […]

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The U.S. Is in a Spectacularly Bad Position to Talk About Climate Change Right Now

The U.S. has no plan to proactively phase out so-called “unabated” fossil fuel production, despite the pledge it’s made to that effect. There are also no assurances that emissions from ever-expanding fossil fuel production can in fact be abated—a term that refers to capturing and storing carbon emissions—at any meaningful scale. Kerry, meanwhile, said during […]

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At the U.N. Climate Talks, the U.S. Is Just Another Petrostate

The U.S. has no plan to proactively phase out so-called “unabated” fossil fuel production, despite the pledge it’s made to that effect. There are also no assurances that emissions from ever-expanding fossil fuel production can in fact be abated—a term that refers to capturing and storing carbon emissions—at any meaningful scale. Kerry, meanwhile, said during […]

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Celebrating five years of MIT.nano

There is vast opportunity for nanoscale innovation to transform the world in positive ways — expressed MIT.nano Director Vladimir Bulović as he posed two questions to attendees at the start of the inaugural Nano Summit: “Where are we heading? And what is the next big thing we can develop?” “The answer to that puts into […]

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Team engineers nanoparticles using ion irradiation to advance clean energy and fuel conversion

MIT researchers and colleagues have demonstrated a way to precisely control the size, composition, and other properties of nanoparticles key to the reactions involved in a variety of clean energy and environmental technologies. They did so by leveraging ion irradiation, a technique in which beams of charged particles bombard a material. They went on to […]

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A green hydrogen innovation for clean energy

Renewable energy today — mainly derived from the sun or wind — depends on batteries for storage. While costs have dropped in recent years, the pursuit of more efficient means of storing renewable power continues. “All of these technologies, unfortunately, have a long way to go,” said Sossina Haile SB ’86, PhD ’92, the Walter […]

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Can President-Elect Javier Milei Turbocharge Argentina’s Energy Industry?

Argentina’s President Elect Javier Milei poses for a portrait after a recent interview for the … [+] political TV show in Buenos Aires, Argentina. (File photo: Tomas Cuesta/Getty Images) Getty Images In the end, when the results of Argentina’s Presidential Election became apparent on Monday (November 20, 2023), the outcome wasn’t all that surprising. However, […]

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A civil discourse on climate change

A new MIT initiative designed to encourage open dialogue on campus kicked off with a conversation focused on how to address challenges related to climate change. “Climate Change: Existential Threat or Bump in the Road” featured Steve Koonin, theoretical physicist and former U.S. undersecretary for science during the Obama administration, and Kerry Emanuel, professor emeritus […]

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Working to beat the clock on climate change

“There’s so much work ahead of us and so many obstacles in the way,” said Raisa Lee, director of project development with Clearway Energy Group, an independent clean power producer. But, added Lee, “It’s most important to focus on finding spaces and people so we can foster growth and support each other — the power […]

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Dennis Whyte steps down as director of the Plasma Science and Fusion Center

Dennis Whyte, who spearheaded the development of the world’s most powerful fusion electromagnet and grew the MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center’s research volume by more than 50 percent, has announced he will be stepping down as the center’s director at the end of the year in order to devote his full attention to teaching, […]

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The power of knowledge

In his early career at MIT, Josh Kuffour’s academic interests spanned mathematics, engineering, and physics. He decided to major in chemical engineering, figuring it would draw on all three areas. Then, he found himself increasingly interested in the mathematical components of his studies and added a second major, applied mathematics. Now, with a double major […]

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Ayomikun Ayodeji ’22 named a 2024 Rhodes Scholar

Ayomikun “Ayo” Ayodeji ’22 from Lagos, Nigeria, has been selected as a Rhodes Scholar for West Africa. He will begin fully funded postgraduate studies at Oxford University in the U.K. next fall. Ayodeji was supported by Associate Dean Kim Benard and the Distinguished Fellowships team in Career Advising and Professional Development, and received additional mentorship […]

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Heat Pumps Are Everywhere—Even in Clothes Dryers

Why get a heat-pump dryer?  Heat-pump dryers can slash energy use by an enormous 40 to 70 percent over gas and electric-resistance models, the EPA shared with Canary Media. (That’s a familiar story; heat pumps for heating and cooling are also far more efficient than conventional models, even in the cold.) A more efficient dryer […]

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How to decarbonize the world, at scale

The world in recent years has largely been moving on from debates about the need to curb carbon emissions and focusing more on action — the development, implementation, and deployment of the technological, economic, and policy measures to spur the scale of reductions needed by mid-century. That was the message Robert Stoner, the interim director […]

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MIT startup has big plans to pull carbon from the air

In order to avoid the worst effects of climate change, the United Nations has said we’ll need to not only reduce emissions but also remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. One method for achieving carbon removal is direct air capture and storage. Such technologies are still in their infancy, but many efforts are underway to […]

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Engineers develop an efficient process to make fuel from carbon dioxide

The search is on worldwide to find ways to extract carbon dioxide from the air or from power plant exhaust and then make it into something useful. One of the more promising ideas is to make it into a stable fuel that can replace fossil fuels in some applications. But most such conversion processes have […]

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Renewable Costs Have Risen: Policymakers Can Help Reverse The Inflationary Blip

Inflation has hit the entire energy sector, and renewable energy is no exception. For decades developers fought to become competitive—then dominant––as the source of new power sector generation, and it’s worked for the most part. While renewable energy costs fell fast over the past decade, those declines recently leveled off, and in some cases, reversed. […]

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Rafael Mariano Grossi speaks about nuclear power’s role at a critical moment in history

On Sept. 22, Rafael Mariano Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), delivered the 2023 David J. Rose Lecture in Nuclear Technology at MIT. This lecture series was started nearly 40 years ago in honor of the late Professor David Rose — a nuclear engineering professor and fusion technology pioneer. In addition to […]

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Another Mega-Merger, But ExxonMobil Plus Pioneer Will Be The Influence-Shaper For Oil As Well As Climate

When Exxon merged with Mobil. AFP via Getty Images Chevron CVX just announced they will buy Hess HES Corporation for $65 billion, the second mega-merger in two weeks. These represent a step change in the oil industry, with long-term ramifications. ExxonMobil has recently acquired Pioneer Natural Resources PXD for about $60 billion, the biggest since […]

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Celebrating Kendall Square’s past and shaping its future

Kendall Square’s community took a deep dive into the history and future of the region at the Kendall Square Association’s 15th annual meeting on Oct. 19. It’s no secret that Kendall Square, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, moves fast. The event, titled “Looking Back, Looking Ahead,” gave community members a chance to pause and reflect on […]

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Chevron Buys Hess As The U.S. Oil Merger Train Gains Steam

Mike Wirth, chairman and chief executive officer of Chevron Corp., during a Bloomberg Television … [+] interview in New York, US, on Monday, Sept. 18, 2023. Wirth said oil probably is headed for the $100 mark soon amid tightening supplies. Photographer: Christopher Goodney/Bloomberg © 2023 Bloomberg Finance LP Less than two weeks after ExxonMobil’s XOM all-stock buyout […]

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