Energy

Oil pumpjack operating in the oil fields under a twilight sky.

Shining a light on oil fields to make them more sustainable

Sensors and analytics give oil well operators real-time alerts when things go wrong, so they can respond before they become disasters.

Zach Winn | MIT News Office

Clean Energy

US will accelerate geothermal exploration on federal land

The Bureau of Land Management is taking steps to make it easier for public lands to be considered for geothermal power systems.

Kristin Houser

A high-tech modular structure illuminated by blue lights, standing on a barren, moon-like landscape at night.

Batteries

World’s biggest battery maker unveils grid-scale storage system

CATL, the world’s biggest battery manufacturer, just unveiled TENER, a new energy storage system for utility companies.

Kristin Houser

Animals

Crowdsourcing ideas for animal conservation technology

The Digital Makerspace looks to an online community of thinkers to identify the most crucial animal conservation problems and solutions.

Teresa Carey

Agriculture

Battling a locust swarm from space

Using data from NASA satellites, researchers are scouring East Africa for areas where a desert locust swarm might be born — so they can destroy the eggs.

Kristin Houser

Oceans

3d-modeling is changing how we see deep sea corals

We don’t understand deep sea coral reefs. Photogrammetry is the first step to unlocking their significance.

Teresa Carey

Food

Fertilizer feeds half the world. Can we make it without fossil fuels?

Fertilizer is needed to feed the world, but its production comes with a carbon footprint. This solar-powered strategy may reduce that.

B. David Zarley

Economics

With US clothing sales in a freefall, Walmart sells secondhand

Consumers can now purchase secondhand clothing from a new resale store in the largest retailer - Walmart.

Teresa Carey

Series| Challengers

This carbon-negative dream house ships in a box

5:11

A startup described as the “IKEA of houses” is determined to make beautifully-designed, energy efficient homes affordable for everyone.

Doug Dais

Exploring the ocean floor with autonomous underwater vehicles

Efficient, autonomous, and economical, the AUV is quickly becoming essential for underwater research.

B. David Zarley

Oceans

NASA app asks players to help map our oceans

While social distancing, volunteer data collectors can contribute to research by helping map oceans with NASA's citizen science app.

Teresa Carey

Aerospace

Space plane experiment could lead to 24/7 solar power

The next time the U.S. Air Force’s X-37B space plane launches, it’ll be carrying an experimental solar panel that could revolutionize clean energy.

Kristin Houser

Climate Crisis

Sending heat to space to reverse global warming

This high-tech material could reverse global warming by using radiative cooling to lower the Earth’s rising temperature.

Teresa Carey

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