Energy

an overhead shot of land split in three. the left side is dry and dusty. the middle has some vegetation, and the right side has a lot.

Desertification is destroying fertile land. Here’s how we’re fighting it.

a female presenting person in a lab coat holding a solar cell

New “tandem” solar cell breaks world record

A new tandem solar cell containing layers of silicon and perovskite has demonstrated an unprecedented efficiency of 33.7%.

Kristin Houser

Clean Energy

These 4 charts show the unstoppable growth of solar

Solar is growing fast enough to displace fossil fuels from the entire global economy before 2050, but infrastructure needs to keep up.

Andrew Blakers

Clean Energy

Tapping into the million-year energy source below our feet

Quaise Energy wants to repurpose coal and gas plants into deep geothermal wells by using X-rays to melt rock.

Zach Winn | MIT News Office

Robotics

This little robot is cleaning up beaches, one cigarette butt at a time

Robot litter picker, the BeachBot, uses artificial intelligence to detect trash like cigarette butts and help clean up beaches.

Charlotte Edmond

Engineering

Engineers create world’s first carbon-neutral cement out of algae

Cement production currently accounts for 8% of global carbon emissions.

Stephen Johnson

Climate Crisis

“Passive cooling” could reduce indoor temps by up to 25 F in a heat wave

University of Oregon researchers have discovered that simple acts like drawing shades during peak sun and opening windows at night may help save lives during heatwaves.

B. David Zarley

Clean Energy

This artificial island will power 3 million European households

Denmark is building an artificial island in the North Sea that will eventually be capable of meeting all the nation’s electricity needs.

Douglas Broom

Food

Spray-on “peel” for produce helps reduce plastic pollution

A Bill Gates-backed startup is helping reduce plastic pollution and food waste by coating produce in an edible spray.

Kristin Houser

Climate Crisis

MIT proposes Brazil-sized fleet of “space bubbles” to cool the Earth

A raft of “space bubbles” could be used to reverse global warming, according to an MIT group's solar geoengineering proposal.

Kristin Houser

Agriculture

Dive into the world’s first underwater garden

An underwater garden off the coast of Italy is introducing the world to a new type of sustainable agriculture.

Kristin Houser

Clean Energy

These bendy wind turbines won’t crack in hurricanes

To significantly scale up offshore wind turbines, SUMR researchers are testing a design inspired by the flexibility of palm trees.

Kristin Houser

Transportation

Spanish airline orders a fleet of airships

B. David Zarley

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