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MIT proof-of-concept demo of ionic wind propulsion for aircraft

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MIT researchers have demonstrated that an aircraft with a 5-meter wingspan can sustain steady-level flight using ionic-wind propulsion. He expects that in the near-term, such ion wind propulsion systems could be used to fly less noisy drones. The MIT team’s final design resembles a large, lightweight glider.

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MIT researchers significantly increase lifetimes of solid oxide fuel cells by changing pH

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MIT researchers have found that changing the pH of the system can increase the lifetimes of a range of technologies including fuel cells. In the electrolysis mode, electricity from, say, the wind, can be used to generate storable fuel such as methane or hydrogen. They can also be made without using costly metals like platinum.

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MITEI study finds hydrogen-generated electricity is a cost-competitive candidate for backing up wind and solar

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A team at MITEI (MIT Energy Initiative) has found that hydrogen-generated electricity can be a cost-competitive option for backing up wind and solar. California draws more than 20% of its electricity from solar and approximately 7% from wind, with more VRE coming online rapidly. —Drake Hernandez. —Emre Gençer.

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Directly-cooled lighter-weight EV motor made with polymer housing

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The stator contains the copper windings that the electricity flows through—and this is where the majority of electrical losses occur. a high proportion of the electrical energy is converted into mechanical energy. This creates more space for the cooling channel next to the flat wire winding phases. © Fraunhofer ICT.

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MIT Report Finds Natural Gas Has Significant Potential to Displace Coal, Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions; Role in Transportation More Limited

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Natural gas will play a leading role in reducing greenhouse-gas emissions over the next several decades, largely by replacing older, inefficient coal plants with highly efficient combined-cycle gas generation, according to a major new interim report out from MIT. The Future of Natural Gas: An Interdisciplinary MIT Study.

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The Complex Calculus of Clean Energy and Zero Emissions

Cars That Think

—Jesse Jenkins, Princeton University When I entered the field, commercial wind was starting to scale up and the questions were about engineering feasibility. What was the maximum share of wind that we could have in the system without blowing it up—5 percent or 20 percent or 30 percent? So when I went to MIT to do my Ph.D.,

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This Fusion Reactor Is Held Together With Tape

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Gretchen Ertl/CFS/MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center CFS, a startup spun out of decades of research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), is among the leaders of a new wave of fusion-energy projects that have emerged in the past decade, taking advantage of technological advances as well as a surge in private-sector investment.

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