MIT Technology Review

Energy

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How Solar-Based Microgrids Could Bring Power to Millions

Millions of the world's poorest lack power. Microgrids could be a clean-energy solution.

Material That Sorts Molecules by Shape Could Lower the Price of Gas

A hydrocarbon-sorting material could replace energy-intensive oil refining steps.

Liquefied Air Could Power Cars and Store Energy from Sun and Wind

A 19th-century idea might lead to cleaner cars, larger-scale renewable energy.

Sharper Computer Models Clear the Way for More Wind Power

New prediction models can allow utilities to rely more heavily on wind and save millions.

A More Efficient Jet Engine Is Made from Lighter Parts, Some 3-D Printed

Composite and 3-D-printed components will mean jet engines that use 15 percent less fuel.

Can Carbon Capture Clean Up Canada’s Oil Sands?

Alberta will serve as a test bed for large-scale carbon capture and sequestration.

Wind Turbines, Battery Included, Can Keep Power Supplies Stable

Advances like GE’s new hybrid wind turbines could make renewable energy more practical.

With Florida Project, the Smart Grid Has Arrived

Smart grid technology has been implemented in many places, but Florida’s new deployment is the first full-scale system.

Energy Department Backs New Way to Make Diesel from Corn

A novel chemical pathway could address the high cost of transporting cellulosic materials to make diesel fuel.

Battery Could Provide a Cheap Way to Store Solar Power

Combining aspects of high-energy lithium-sulfur batteries with flow battery technology can lower costs.

A Solution to Solar Power Intermittency

Converting methane to an alternative fuel using energy from the sun could reduce carbon-dioxide emissions.