energy futures - massachusetts institute of...

MIT competes in DOE’s Solar Decathlon in Washington, D.C.

Doubling vehicle fuel economy by 2035:Technically feasible, challenging in scope

Rechargeable batteries: Nanoscale clues to higher power

Energy-related environmental changes:Consequences for crop yields, global economy

MITEI supports student innovators to help reduce MIT’s energy, environmental footprint

Energy FuturesM I T E n E r g y I n I T I a T I v E v o l u M E 1 • W I n T E r 2 0 0 8

I n T h I S I S S u E

Winter 2008 | MIT Energy Initiative | Energy Futures | �

A l e t t e r f r o m t h e d i r e c t o r

2 UpdateontheMITEnergyInitiative

r e s e A r c h r e p o r t s

4 Doublingvehiclefueleconomyby2035:Technicallyfeasible, challenginginscope

7 Rechargeablebatteries:Nanoscalecluestohigherpower

9 Energy-relatedenvironmentalchanges: Consequencesforcropyields,globaleconomy

e d u c A t i o n & c A m p u s e n e r g y A c t i v i t i e s

12 Studentsdevelopmethodologyforassessingoptions tocutcampusenergyuse,emissions

13 Makingadifference:Researchopportunitiesforundergrads

e d u c A t i o n

15 Stackablecars,alternativeenergyhighlightMITEnergyNight

16 MartinFellowswelcomed

17 AnMITfirst:CompetinginDOE’sSolarDecathlon

c A m p u s e n e r g y A c t i v i t i e s

19 MITEIsupportsstudentinnovatorstohelpreduceMIT’s energy,environmentalfootprint

20 Nightandday:Lightingthedome,installingaphotovoltaicarray

21 DormElectricityCompetition: MITstudentssaveenergywhereitcounts

l f e e • laboratoryforenergyandtheenvironment

22 AllianceforGlobalSustainabilityannualmeetingtobeheldatMIT

22 AltWheelsfestivalfeaturescleanenergytechnologiesandpractices

23 WorkshopcelebratesnewdoctoralprograminPortugal

24 InaugurationceremoniesheldforenergycenterattheCyprusInstitute

Energy Futuresc o n t e n t s

Energy Futures ispublishedtwiceyearlybytheMITEnergyInitiative.Itreportsonresearchresultsandenergy-relatedactivitiesacrosstheInstitute.Tosubscribe,[email protected].

NancyW.Stauffer,editor

ISSN1550-008X

Copyright©2008MassachusettsInstituteofTechnology.Materialinthisnewslettermaybereproducedifcreditedto“Energy Futures, MITEnergyInitiative.”

MIT Energy InitiativeTheMITEnergyInitiativeisdesignedtoaccelerateenergyinnovationbyintegratingtheInstitute’scutting-edgecapabilitiesinscience,engineering,management,planning,andpolicy.

MITEnergyInitiativeMassachusettsInstituteofTechnology77MassachusettsAvenue,E40-455Cambridge,MA02139-4307

617.258.8891

web.mit.edu/mitei

PrintedonrecycledpaperDesign:TimBlackburnPrinting:PuritanPressPSB 07.10.0839

2 | Energy Futures | MIT Energy Initiative | Winter 2008


Update on the MIT Energy Initiative

Dear Friends,

WelcometotheinauguralissueofEnergy Futures, thenewsletteroftheMITEnergyInitiative.I’dliketotakethisopportunitytotellyouaboutsomeoftheexcitingdevelopmentsandactivitiesoftheInitiativeduringitsfirstyearofoperation.PresidentSusanHockfieldsetMIT’senergyinitiativeinmotionduringherMay2005inauguraladdresswhenshehighlightedMIT’s“…institutionalresponsibilitytoaddressthechallengesofenergyandtheenvironment.”FollowingayearlongstudyofhowMITcouldbestcontribute,inNovember2006PresidentHockfieldformallylaunchedtheMITEnergyInitiative(MITEI)withabroadmandatetoaddresskeyglobalandnationalenergychallenges:meetinggrowingdemandforenergywhileincreasingtheeffi-ciencywithwhichitisused;enhancingenergysecurity;andmitigatingtheenvironmentalimpactsofenergypro-duction,distribution,andconsumption,especiallytheclimaterisksassociatedwithgreenhousegasemissions.

BuildingonMIT’slonghistoryoffirst-rateresearchandindustrialandinterna-tionalcollaboration,MITEIisdesignedtoaccelerateenergyinnovationbyintegratingtheInstitute’scutting-edgecapabilitiesinscience,engineering,management,planning,andpolicy.MITEIalsoenliststhetalentanddedica-tionofMIT’sstudentstoaddresscriticalenergyandenvironmentalchallenges.FormalMITEI/ industrypartnershipsenableMITresearcherstoworkcloselywithscientists,engineers,andplannersinindustry,ensuringtherapidmove-mentofideasintothemarketplace.Finally,MITEIseekstoserveasan“honestbroker”tothepolicydiscourse,providingleadersingovernmentandindustrywithunbiasedanalysesofenergyissues,informedenergypolicyoptions,andopportunitiesforcriticalenergydialogue.InlaunchingMITEI,PresidentHockfieldnamedanEnergyCouncilmadeupoffacultyfromallfiveMITschoolstohelpimplementtheInitiative’sresearchandeducationgoals.Councilmembersarelistedintheboxonthefacingpage.MITEIDeputyDirectorRobertArmstrongandIworkcloselywiththecounciltooverseeInitiativeactivities,coordinatewithexistingenergyactivitiesacrosstheInstitute,andfacilitatethedevelopmentofrelationshipswithotherinstitutions,industries,andgovernmentalagencies.TohelpguidetheInitiative,PresidentHockfieldhasestablishedanExternalAdvisoryBoardcomposedofhigh-levelmembersfromindustry,nongovern-mentalorganizations,academia,andthinktanks.ItwillbechairedbyformerU.S.SecretaryofStateGeorgeShultz,anMITalumnusandformerfacultymember.ThefirstmeetingoftheboardisscheduledformidJanuary2008.

MITEI’sfourmajorprogramcompo-nents—industryresearchpartnerships,education,campusenergymanage-ment,andoutreach—arealreadyyieldingimportantresults.MITEI’sindustrypartnershipssupportmajorresearchprograms,early-stageinnovativeprojects,educationalinitiatives,fellowships,undergraduateresearchopportunities,otherstudentactivities,andoutreach.Currentindus-trypartnersandsomeoftheirresearchinterestsareBP(coalconversion);Ford(newpowertraintechnologies);Chevron(ultra-deepwateroilandgasproduction);b_TEC,Barcelona(renew-ables);andSchlumberger(subsurfacescienceandtechnology).Thisfirstgroupofindustrypartnersrepresentsa$70millioncommitmentoverthenextfiveyears,includingalmost100newenergygraduatefellowships.ThepartnershavealsocontributedtoanEnergyResearchSeedFund;thefirstawardssupportingnovelenergy-relatedproposalsfromacrossthecampuswilltotalnearly$1millionandwillbeannouncedbyJanuary.Todate,MITEIhasreceivedmorethan50seedfundproposals.Thisextraordinaryresponsetothefirstcallforproposalsshowsthebreadthanddepthofenergy-relatedinnovationbyMITfaculty.TwotaskforcesarehelpingMITEIimplementitsmandatefromPresidentHockfield.TheEnergyEducationTaskForce,co-chairedbyProfessorsAngelaBelcherandJeffersonTester,isassessingtheexistingcurriculum,evaluatingandcoordinatingundergrad-uateandgraduateenergy-relatedsubjects,andconsideringthedevelop-mentofanInstitute-wideenergyminor.TheCampusEnergyTaskForceisco-chairedbyProfessorLeonGlicksmanandTheresaStone,MITexecutivevicepresidentandtreasurer.Activities



includeimprovingandplanningcampusenergyuse,providinginputtonewcampusconstruction,andsupportingstudentactivitiesthatusethecampusasalaboratoryforenergyresearchandeducation.NotableadvancesinMITEI’seducationprogramthisyearincludeaverygenerousgrantfromtheKabcenellFoundationsupportingavarietyofcurricularinitiatives.MIThasalsobeenawardedaClareBootheLucePostdoc-toralFellowshipProgramforWomeninEnergy,tobefilledstartinginfall2008.Otheropportunities,suchasanMITEIPracticeSchool,areunderdiscussion.

TheCampusEnergyTaskForcehasalreadyawardedstudentgrantsforcampusenergyprojectsrangingfromawindturbinedesigncompetitiontoacampaignencouragingtheuseofrevolvingdoors.Asecondroundoffundedprojectswillbeannouncedsoon.Anexcitingparalleldevelopmentisthegenerationofnumerousstudent-ledprojectssuchasadormefficiencycompetition(wonbyMcCormickHall)andanaward-winningplantoproducebiodieselfromcampuswaste.TheLaboratoryforEnergyandtheEnvironmenthasbeenbroughtundertheMITEIumbrella,providingessentialadministrativeandprogrammaticsupportforMITEI.Similarly,MITEIisleveragingthestrongCorporateRelations/IndustrialLiaisonProgramnetworktoattractcorporatefinancialsupportandFoundationRelationsandIndividualGivingtoattractfounda-tionsandindividualdonors.Thiscollaborationavoidsduplicatingeffortsandminimizesthebuildupofsupportinfrastructures.Ontheoutreachfront,MITEIheldthreecolloquiaduring2007.ProfessorGeorgeWhitesidesspokeaboutexcitingbreak-throughopportunitiesinbasicenergyresearch.LeeRaymond,theformerCEOandchairmanofExxonMobil,discussedtherecentlyreleasedreportbytheNationalPetroleumCouncilonglobaloilandgasissues.SirNicholasSternspokeabouttheglobalclimatechangeimperative.Inaddition,MITEI,withthesupportoftheMITEnergyClub,recentlyhostedanEnergySalonfortheMITEIAffiliateandAssociatemembers;discussionfocusedon“InnovationIsanEnergyResource:GrowingtheEnergyIndustryinNewEngland,”withapanelledbyProfessorRichardLester,directorofMIT’sIndustrialPerformanceCenter.

TheMITEIwebsiteisalsoupandrunningat.WeencourageyoutotakeamomenttovisitthisportaltoenergyactivitiesattheInstitute.WeanticipateaddingnewMITEIindustrypartnersinthenearfuture.Withthosepartnerswillcomeaddi-tionalenergyresearchopportunities,newenergyfellowshipsfortheInstitute,andalargerEnergyResearchSeedFundtosupportcreativeproposalsfromacrossthecampus.MITEIwillalsocontinuetosupportdevelopmentofthenextgenerationofenergyinnovatorsandentrepreneursbyhelpingtocreateeducationoptionsthatcombinesingle-disciplinedepthwithmultidisciplinebreadthandthatusethecampusitselfasateachingandlearningtool.Futureissuesofthisnewsletter—tobepublishedtwiceyearly—willhigh-lightenergyresearchoutcomesandenergy-relatedactivitiesattheInstitute.Iappreciateyourongoinginterestinenergyissues,MITEI,andthekeyroletheInstituteisplayingtohelpaddressglobalenergychallenges. Sincerely,

Professor Ernest J. MonizDirector,MITEnergyInitiative

December2007

MITEI Energy Council

Ernest J. MonizCecilandIdaGreenProfessorofPhysicsandEngineeringSystems,director,MITEI

Robert C. ArmstrongChevronProfessorofChemicalEngineering,deputydirector,MITEI

• • •

Stephen AnsolabehereEltingR.MorisonProfessorofPoliticalScience

Angela M. BelcherGermeshausenProfessorofMaterialsScienceandEngineeringandBiologicalEngineering

John M. DeutchInstituteProfessor(Chemistry)

Leon R. GlicksmanProfessorofBuildingTechnologyandMechanicalEngineering

Rebecca H. HendersonGeorgeEastmanKodakLFMProfessorofManagement

Emanuel M. SachsFredFortFlowers’41andDanielFortFlowers’41ProfessorofMechanicalEngineering

� | Energy Futures | MIT Energy Initiative | Winter 2008

Doubling vehicle fuel economy by 2035:Technically feasible, challenging in scopeAccordingtoarecentMITstudy,itshouldbepossibletodoublethefueleconomyofnewcarsandtruckssoldin2035usingimprovedversionsoftoday’stechnology.Achievingsuchadoublingistechnicallyfeasible,butitwillbeamajorchallenge.

Inonesuccessfulscenario,forexample,almost80%ofallvehiclessoldin2035willbehybrids,diesels,orturbochargedgasolineengines.Inaddition,technicaladvancesbetweennowandthenmustfocusalmostentirelyonimprovingfueleconomyratherthanmakingcarsfasterandlarger—thetrendoverthelastfewdecades.Ifthosetworequirementsarenotmet,thenvehicleswillhavetobesubstan-tiallylighterforthefactor-of-twogaininfueleconomy.Perhapsthebiggesthurdleischangingconsumers’expectationsandbuyingbehavior.“Becauseofthefocusonimprovingfueleconomyratherthan,say,increasingacceleration,the2035buyerwillhavetobesatisfiedwithclosetotoday’slevelofperformance,”saidJohnB.Heywood,theSunJaeProfessorofMechanicalEngineeringanddirectorofMIT’sSloanAutomotiveLaboratory.Amidgrowingconcernsaboutenergysecurityandtheimpactsofclimatechange,muchattentionisfocusingoncuttingenergyusefortransportation—asectorthatconsumestwo-thirdsofallpetroleumintheUnitedStatesandthatgeneratesathirdofthenation’scarbondioxideemissions.Congressisnowdebatinglegislativeproposalstoincreasethefueleconomyofnewpassengervehiclesoverthenexttwodecades.Buthowrealisticarethegoalsbeingconsidered?

Forthepastninemonths,ProfessorHeywoodandgraduatestudentsLynetteCheah,ChristopherEvans,andAnupBandivadekarhavebeendrawingontheiraccumulatedexpertiseandadvancedmodelingmethodstofindout.Theirdefinedgoalwastoendupwith2035light-dutyvehicles—cars,wagons,SUVs,pickups,andvans—thathaveonaveragetwicethefuelecon-omyofthosebeingsoldtoday.“Thisisasurprisinglydemandingtask,”saidProfessorHeywood.“Wedon’tusuallythinkaboutdoublingthefueleconomy—inotherwords,halvingthefuelconsumption—ofeverycarinsomeaveragesense.”Theresearcherslimitedtheirstudytoevolvedgasolineinternalcombustionenginesandthreeadvancedvehicletechnologies:turbochargedgasolineengines,high-speedturbochargeddieselengines,andhybrid-electricsystems.“Wewantedtofocusonreadilyavailabletechnologiesthatcanpenetratethemarketwithoutalotofaddedinvestmentinthetechnologyorfuelinginfrastructure,”saidMs.Cheah.Plug-inhybrids,batteryelectricvehi-cles,andalternativefuelswerethere-foreexcluded.Theyexaminedthreewaysofreducingfuelconsumption:usingmorealterna-tiveandfuel-efficientpropulsionsystems(calledpowertrainsintheirstudy),channelingtechnologyimprove-mentstowardreducingfuelconsump-tionratherthanincreasingperformance,andreducingvehicleweightandsize.ProfessorHeywoodemphasizedthatthestudydoesnotaimtoforecasthowvehiclesormarketsmightlookin2035.“We’reworkingbackwardstounderstandthedegreeofthechangesthatarenecessarytoachievethedesiredtarget,”hesaid.

What can we expect by 2035?

Theresearchersfirstdeterminedhowmucheachoption,takentoitsmaximum,couldcutfuelconsumptionby2035.Asabaseline,theanalysisassumesthatenginesandtransmis-sionswillcontinuetoimproveastheyhaveinthepast.Use alternative, more efficient power-trains. Today,lessthan5%oftheU.S.marketismadeupofturbochargedgasoline,diesel,andhybridvehicles.Basedontheratesatwhichpreviousnewtechnologieshavepenetratedtheexistingvehiclefleet—andassum-ingaggressivepromotionofthenewtechnologies—theresearchersassumedthatthemaximummarket-sharegrowthrateofalternativepowertrainsis10%peryear.Atthatrate,alternativepowertrainscouldatmostmakeup85%ofnewvehiclesalesin2035,yieldinga23%reductioninthefuelconsumptionoftheaverage2035modelyearvehicle.Emphasize reducing fuel consumption. Asvehicletechnologiesimprove,thereisatrade-offbetweenreducingfuelconsumptionandincreasingperfor-mance,size,andweight.Overthepasttwodecades,forexample,gainshavebeenusedtopushuphorsepowerandaccelerationratherthantoincreasefueleconomy.Akeyvariableinthestudywastherefore“emphasisonreducingfuelconsumption”(ERFC).Assuming100%ERFC,vehicleperformancewouldremainunchangedfromtoday,butfuelconsumptionwouldbe35%lowerintheaverage2035vehicle.Reduce vehicle weight and size.Thethirdoptionistoreducevehicleweightandsize(beyondwhatisassumedatdifferentlevelsofERFC).Heaviermaterialscanbereplacedbylighter-weightonessuchasaluminumand



high-strengthsteel.Asvehicleweightdecreases,theengine,suspension,andothercomponentscanbedownsized.Andtheoverallvehiclecanbemadesmaller—achangethatwouldfocusfirstonlargervehicles,producingafleetwithamoreconsistentsize.Integratingallofthoseapproachescouldcutvehicleweightby35%by2035,yieldinga19%reductioninfuelconsumptionintheaverage2035vehicle.

Putting it all together

Nosingleoptioncutsfuelconsumptionenoughtoreachthestudy’sdefinedtarget,butvariouscombinationsofthethreeoptionswoulddothejob.Using

theiranalyticaltools,theresearchersgeneratedthefigureabove,whichdemonstrateshowthethreeoptionscanbecombinedandtradedofftoachievethefactor-of-twogain.Anypointwithintheshadedtriangle—the“solutionspace”—willyieldthedesiredoutcome.Forexample,assumethattechnologyimprovementsgoalmostentirelytowardfueleconomy.Inthiscase,vehicleaccelerationinthefuturewillremainessentiallyunchangedfromthecurrentlevelof0to60mphin9.4seconds(thediagonallineatthelowerright).Atoneextreme(pointA),thetargetcanbereachedwhenthemarket

shareofalternativevehiclesisjust34%,butvehicleweightmustthendropto1,055kg—morethanathirdlessthanvehiclesweightoday.Attheotherextreme(pointB),vehicleweightisjustover1,300kg,adeclineof20%fromtoday,butthenthemarketshareofalternativevehiclesmustrisetoalmost80%.Alongthediagonallinebetweenthoseextremesaremanycombinationsofmarketshareandweightreductionthatwillwork.NowassumeanERFCofonly60%.Giventhatlevelofemphasisonin-creasingperformance,theaveragenewcarin2035wouldacceleratefrom0to60mphin7.6s(pointC


100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0900 1,000 1,100 1,200 1,300 1,400

More than 35%weight reductionwould be needed.

New cars would have poorer acceleration performance than today’s cars have.

7.6 s8.0 s

More than 85% alternative powertrains would be needed.

Iso-performance lines (0–60 mph time)

Solution space

A

B

C

Mar

ket

shar

e o

f al

tern

ativ

e p

ow

ertr

ain

s (%

)

2035 average new car weight (kg)

8.5 s

9.0 s

9.4 s

thisfigureshowsasetofscenariosthatwouldleadtoadoublingoffueleconomyinnewcarsin2035.pointswithintheshadedareawouldyieldthedesiredresultbycombiningchangesinthreefactors:marketpenetrationofalternativepowertrains,reductioninvehicleweight,andchannelingtechnologyimprovementsmoretowardincreasingfueleconomyratherthanperformance(hereindicatedbyhowmuchaccelerationchangesfromtoday’saverageof0to60mphin9.4s).maximumchangesareindicatedforeachfactor.

Sample Scenarios for Doubling Fuel Economy in New 2035 Cars

� | Energy Futures | MIT Energy Initiative | Winter 2008

inthesolutionspace).Butthenachiev-ingthefactor-of-twotargetrequirestakingtheothertwooptionstotheirlimits:alternative-vehiclemarketsharemustbe85%and2035vehicleweightonlyabout1,055kg.Throughoutthoseanalyses,hybridsnevermakeupmorethan35%ofthenewvehiclefleet.“Butinpreviousworkwe’veshownthathybridsgetsignificantlybetterfueleconomythanstandard-enginevehicles,whethergasolineordiesel,”saidProfessorHeywood.“Soanimportantquestionis:Howmuchdifferencecanusingmorehybridsmake?”Tofindout,anotheranalysisassumedthat55%ofallnewvehiclesarehybrids,withthebalancespreadaboutevenlyamongconventionalgasoline,turbogasoline,anddieselengines(seethetableabove).Thepreponderanceoffuel-efficienthybridsbringsdownfuelconsumptionenoughthatthetargetismetevenwhennewcaraccelerationperformance(0to60mph)increasesto8.1sandvehicleweightdropsto1,300kg—areductionthatcanbeachievedbyusingmorelightweightmaterials.

Theresearchersestimatethatreachingthefactor-of-twotargetwillcostman-ufacturersanextra$50–$65billioninthe2035modelyearalone,orroughly20%morethanabaselineassumingfueleconomyremainsunchangedfromtoday.Consideringthefuelsavings,however,societyasawholewouldrecoupthosecostswithinfourtofiveyears.Theyconcludethathalvingfuelcon-sumptionby2035ispossiblebutwillrequireaggressiveactionbeginningtoday.“Therewillhavetobeafun-damentalshiftinthemindsetandmotivationofabroadbaseofconsumer,industry,andgovernmentalstake-holders,”saidProfessorHeywood.“We’llneednewpoliciesthatpushindustrytoutilizenewtechnologieswhileatthesametimecreatingamarketdemandthatpullstechnologygainstowardreducingfuelconsumption.”

• • •

This research was supported by Environ- mental Defense. Further information can be found in:

L. Cheah, C. Evans, A. Bandivadekar, and J. Heywood. Factor of Two: Halving the Fuel Consumption of New U.S. Automobiles by 2035. MIT Laboratory for Energy and the Environment Publication No. LFEE 2007-04 RP, October 2007. Available at .


Model year Emphasis on Average Average Market share by powertrain

reducing fuel acceleration car curb Conventional Turbo Diesel Hybrid consumption time (0–�0 mph) weight gasoline gasoline gasoline

2006 — 9.4s 1,620kg 95% 1% 2% 2%

2035 75% 8.1s 1,300kg 15% 15% 15% 55% (20%reduction)

thistableshowsonescenariothatwouldyieldafleetofnewcarsin2035withdoublethefueleconomyofnewcarstoday.onekeyfactorishowmuchemphasisisputonusingtechnologygainsbetweennowandthentoreducefuelconsumptionratherthantoincreaseperformancefactorssuchasacceleration.mitanalysesshowthataccomplishingthesechangesby2035istechnicallyfeasiblebutwillrequiremajorshiftsintheexpectationsandbehaviorofconsumers,manufacturers,andthegovernment.

Plausible Scenario for Doubling Fuel Economy in New 2035 Cars


Rechargeable batteries:Nanoscale clues to higher powerImaginechargingupthebatteryinyourelectricvehicleinfiveminutes,thenacceleratingrapidlytojointrafficonthehighway.ThatisthevisionofMITscientistswhoarelookingtospeeduptheflowofelectricityintoandoutofrechargeablebatteries.Theirrecentresearchfindingsprovideatomic-levelinsightsintowhatlimitsthatflow—andwhyfabricatingelectrodesfromnanoscaleparticleseasestheproblem.Yet-MingChiang,theKyoceraProfessorofCeramicsintheDepartmentofMaterialsScienceandEngineering,isnostrangertopowerfulrechargeablebatteries.Inpastresearch,heandhiscolleaguesdevelopedanintrinsicallysafe,long-lastinglithium-ionbatterythatwasfivetimesmorepowerfulthanitscompetitors.Thebattery,marketedsince2001byA123SystemsofWatertown,MA,hasbeenincorpo-ratedintohigh-poweredcordlesstoolsandisnowbeingdemonstratedinplug-inhybridelectricvehicles.Despitetheirsuccess,ProfessorChiangandhiscolleagues—likeothersinthefield—havebeenuncertainastowhyhighpowerissohardtoachieve.Whilemanyexpertscitelimitedratesofchemicaldiffusion,ProfessorChiangsuggestedinsteadthattheimpedimentishowquicklystructuralchangescanoccurattheatomiclevel—ahypothesisthathasbeensupportedbyresultsfromrecentexperimentalandtheore-ticalwork.Whenalithium-ionbatteryproduceselectricity,lithiumionsflowfromthenegativeelectrodetothepositiveelectrodeofthebattery.Thefasterthoseionsmove,thehigherthebat-tery’spower.Thelimitingfactorhasbeenhowquicklythepositiveelectrodecantakeupthelithiumions.Andhowquicklythatelectrodecanrelease

lithiumionshaslimitedtherateatwhichthebatterycanberecharged.Amongtheelectrodematerialsthatworkbestareolivines,afamilyofcrystallinecompoundswithasimilaratomic-scalestructure.Foragivenolivine,thestructurediffersslightlydependingonwhetherornotlithiumispresent.Asaresult,whenlithiumionsmoveintooroutofthepositive

electrode,anewcrystallinestructuremustforminplaceoftheoriginalone.“Sothechallengeistoengineer,ordesign,thematerialtoallowthatstructuralorphasechangetohappenasquicklyaspossible,becausethefasteritcango,thehigherthepowerthatthebatterycandeliverandthefasteritcanberecharged,”ProfessorChiangsaid.

100nm


50nm

theseimagesshowthenanoscaleparticlesthatmakeuptheelectrodesofadopedlithium-ironphosphatebattery—anintrinsicallysaferechargeablebatterydevelopedatmitandremarkableforitshighpower,longlifetime,andmechanicalrobustness.recentmitresearchhasprovidedatomic-scaleinsightsintowhyworkingatthenanoscalemakesthosecharacteristicspossible.


Butinaconventionalelectrode,thereisaproblem:thechangefromonecrystallinestructuretotheothergetsstuck.Considertheflowoflithiumintothepositiveelectrodeasacharged-upbatteryisdischargedtorunadevice.“Westartoffwithapositiveelectrodethatcontainsnolithium,”ProfessorChiangexplained.“Asweaddlithium,partofthatsolidmodifiesitscrystallinestructure.Nowthere’samismatchbetweenthatnewstructureandtheoriginalstructureinthepartofthesolidthat’sstilldevoidoflithium.”Themis-matchattheinterfacebetweenthetwocrystallinestructuresslowstheuptakeoflithiumions,whichlimitsthepowerofthebattery.Thekey,then,istopreventthematerialfromseparatingintoregionswithandwithoutlithium.Butstablecrystallinestructuresexistforonlytwocomposi-tions:whenthematerialiscompletelyfreeoflithiumandwhenitisfullysaturatedwithlithium.Nostablecrys-tallinestructureexistsforintermediateconcentrationsoflithium,suchasthosepresentwhenthebatteryisdischargingorcharging.Asaresult,thematerialquicklyseparatesintolithium-saturatedandlithium-freeregions.

The benefits of nanotechnology

Inconventionalformsofthesecom-pounds,theonlywaytoachievestabilityatintermediatelithiumconcen-trationsisbyraisingthetemperature—notapracticalsolutionforabatteryelectrode.Anotherapproachistousenanotechnology.“Thefascinationwithnanomaterialsisthatunusualthingshappenwhenparticlesgetverysmall,”saidProfessorChiang.“Asthesizescalegetssmallerandsmaller,physicalpropertiessuchasmeltingpointsandopticalandelectronicpropertiescanchangedramatically.”

Indeed,whentheresearcherstestedelectrodematerialsmadeupofparticleslessthan100nmindiameter,theyobservedregionswithintermediatelithiumconcentrations—evenatroomtemperature.Intheoverallmaterial,thecompositionwasmoremixed,reducingoreliminatingabruptinter-facesbetweenregionsofdifferingcomposition.Andwhenthatconditionprevailed,thebatterybeingtestedhadmuchhigherpower.“Thereforewereasonedthatthesetwoarecoupledphenomena,”ProfessorChiangsaid.“Byreducingtheparticlesizetothenanoscaleweallowthetransitionfromlithium-devoidtolithium-saturated,andviceversa,toproceedmuchfaster.”Moreover,intestswithdifferentolivinestheresearchersfoundthatsomeexhibitedthedesiredbehaviorfarmorethanothers.Thatfindingcouldexplainwhycertainolivinesexhibitexceptionalperformanceaselectrodematerialswhileothersdonot—adiscrepancythathaspuzzledbatteryexperts.Agoodcriterionforidentifyingpromisingnewelectrodecompoundsmaythereforebetheirabilitytoadsorbandreleaselithiumwithoutabruptandsignificantstructuralchange.Asanaddedbenefit,theuseofsuchcompoundsshouldextendbatterylifetime.Eliminatingabruptchangesincompositionwillreducecrackingandotherdamagethatcanoccurwithrepeatedcharginganddischarging.Initially,ProfessorChiangwasreluctanttousetheterm“nanotechnology”whentalkingabouthisongoingworkonbatterytechnology.However,thenewfundamentalresultshaveconvincedhimthatheandhisteamareindeedusingnanotechnologytoengineerandcontrolthephysicalpropertiesoftheirelectrodematerials.“Therehavepreviouslybeenobservationsof[this

typeof]changeinbehavioratthenanoscale,”hesaid.“Butthisisthefirsttimethatwe’reawareofthatit’sbeenobservedinabattery-storagematerialandactuallyusedasamechanismforachievinghigherperformance.”

• • •

This research was supported by the United States Advanced Battery Consortium and a Royal Thai Government Graduate Fellowship. Further information can be found in:

N. Meethong, H-Y. Huang, S. Speakman, W. Carter, and Y-M. Chiang. “Strain accom-modation during phase transformations in olivine-based cathodes as a materials selec- tion criterion for high-power rechargeable batteries.” Advanced Functional Materials, vol. 17, 2007, pp. 1115–1123.



Energy-related environmental changes:Consequences for crop yields, global economyAnewMITstudyconcludesthatchangesintheenvironmentcausedbyincreasingfuelusemaydamageglobalvegetation,resultinginseriouscoststotheworld’seconomy.Accordingtotheanalysis,changesinclimateandincreasesincarbondioxide(CO2)concentrationsmay,onnet,benefitcrops,pastures,andforests,especiallyinnortherntemperateregions.However,thosebenefitsmaybemorethanoffsetbythedetrimentaleffectsofincreasesintroposphericozone,notablyoncrops.Theeconomiccostofthedamagewillbemoderatedbychangesinlanduseandbyagriculturaltrade,withsomeregionsmoreabletoadaptthanothers.Buttheoveralleconomicconsequenceswillbeconsiderable.Amongthemoststrikingresultsofthestudyisthedifficultyofcontrollingozonelevels.“Evenassumingthatbest-practicetechnologyisadoptedworldwide,weseerapidlyrisingozoneconcentrationsinthecomingdecades,”saidJohnM.Reilly,associatedirectorforresearchoftheMITJointProgramontheScienceandPolicyofGlobalChange.“Thatresultisbothsurprisingandworrisome.”Thenewfindingscomefromastudythatisnovelinbothdesignandmethod-ology.WhileotherinvestigatorshavelookedathowchangesinclimateandinCO2concentrationsmayaffectvegeta-tion,Dr.ReillyandhiscoworkersattheJointProgramandtheMarineBiologicalLaboratory(WoodsHole,MA)addedtothatmixchangesintroposphericozone.Moreover,theylookedatallthreeenvironmental“stressors”atonce,examiningtheircombinedimpactsoncrops,pastures,andforests,allofwhichcompeteforlanduse.(Changes

inecosystemsandhumanhealthandotherimpactsofpotentialconcernareoutsidethescopeofthisstudy.)TheyperformedtheiranalysisusingtheMITIntegratedGlobalSystemsModel(IGSM),whichprojectsemissionsofgreenhousegases(GHGs)andozoneprecursorsbasedonhumanactivityandnaturalsystems.Coupledmodelsthentrackchemicalreactionsintheatmosphere,flowsofGHGsintoandoutofoceansandland,andimpactsonvegetationandsoils.Resultingchangesincropyields,grazingland,andforestsarefedintoalinkedeconomicmodel,whichcalculatesactivityinvariouseconomicsectors,accountingfortheeffectsofadaptationtochange,interna-tionaltrade,andtheimpositionofemissions-controlpolicies.Calculationsareperformednotforselectedyearsbutonacontinuous,day-by-daybasis—anapproachthatiscriticalforsimulatinggradual,long-termchangesinsoils.Spatialvariationiscapturedbyconsid-ering62,000individualcellscoveringtheEarth’ssurface.

Expected and unexpected findings

AnalyticalresultsfortheimpactsofclimatechangeandrisingCO2concentrations(assumingbusinessasusual[BAU],withnoGHGemissionsrestrictions)broughtfewsurprises.Theestimatedtemperatureincrease—2.75°Cby2100—wouldbenefitvegeta-tioninmuchoftheworld,aswouldthefertilizationeffectofrisingCO2.However,theimpactsoneconomicmarketsarenotmajor.Theeffectsofozonearedecidedlydifferent.Themodelcombinedprojec-tionsofozone-precursoremissionswithdataonweatherandprevailingwindstogeneratethefirstdetailedpictureofwhereozoneforms,howitmoves

aroundtheworld,andtheconcentra-tionsthatresult.UndertheBAUassumptions,thoseconcentrationsrisedramaticallyovertime.Increasingwealthleadstomoredeploymentofnewtechnologieswithlowerprecursoremissionsperunitofenergy;butevenso,ozoneconcentrationsincreasedramaticallyduetothescaleoftheeconomyandtheprojectedincreaseinfueluse.Furthermore,theincreasedozoneconcentrationshaveadisproportion-atelylargeimpactonvegetation.Inmanylocations,atmosphericozoneconcentrationsarecurrentlyjustbelowthe“accumulatedozonethreshold”of40partsperbillion(AOT-40),thecriticallevelabovewhichadverseeffectsareobservedinplantsandecosystems.“Soarelativelymodestincreaseintheaverageozonelevelresultsinadramaticincreaseintheaccumulatedhoursabove40ppb,”Dr.Reillysaid.IntheBAUcase,globalaverageozonegoesupby50%by2100,butAOT-40levelsovermajorvegetationzonesincreasebyfivetosixtimes.Whilethoseincreasesaffectallvegeta-tion,cropsarehardesthit.Modelpredictionsshowthatozonelevelstendtobehighestinregionswherecropsaregrown.Inaddition,cropsareparticularlysusceptibletoozonedamagebecausetheyarefertilized.“Whencropsarefertilized,theirsto-mataopenup,andtheysuckinmoreair.Andthemoreairtheysuckin,themoreozonedamageoccurs,”saidDr.Reilly.“It’salittlelikegoingoutandexercisingreallyhardonahigh-ozoneday.”Whatistheneteffectofthethreeenvironmentalchanges?FortheBAUcase,yieldsfromforestsandpastures


�0 | Energy Futures | MIT Energy Initiative | Winter 2008

thesefiguresshowmitprojectionsofglobalaveragepercentagechangeincropyield(top)andproduction(bottom)underthreescenarios.inthehighestcurveineachfigure,greenhousegas(ghg)emissionsareunregulated,andozonedamagetocropsisexcludedfromtheanalysis.inthelowestcurve,ghgsareunregulated,andcropdamagefromozoneisincluded.inthemiddlecurve,ghgsareregulated,whichleadstosomereductioninozoneconcentrationsandrelatedcropdamage.Whilecropyieldsmaydropdramatically,cropproductionneverdeclinesbymorethan8%becausetheworldadaptsbyallocatingmoreresourcestogrowingfood.

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declineslightlyorevenincreasebecauseoftheclimateandCO2effects.Butcropyieldsfallbynearly40%worldwide(seethetopfigureonthefacingpage).Regionalprojectionsshowa60%declineinChinaanda40–50%declineintheUnitedStatesandEurope.However,thoseyieldlossesdonottranslatedirectlyintolossesinfoodproduction.Accordingtotheeconomicmodel,theworldadaptsbyallocatingmorelandtocropsinordertokeepfoodproductionup(seethebottomfigureonthefacingpage).Evenwhencropyieldsgodownbyasmuchas60%,theproductionlossisnomorethan8%.Whilesuchresultsunder-scoretheworld’sabilitytoadapt,thatadaptationcomesatacost.Theuseofadditionalresourcesbringsaglobaleconomiclossof10–12%ofthetotalvalueofcropproduction.

The regional view

Globalestimatesdonottellthewholestory,however,asregionalimpactsvarysignificantly.Forexample,north-erntemperateregionsgenerallybenefitfromclimatechangebecausehighertemperaturesextendtheirgrowingseason.However,thecroplossesassociatedwithhighozoneconcentra-tionswillbesignificant.Incontrast,thetropics,alreadywarm,donotbenefitfromfurtherwarming;buttheyarenotashardhitbyozonedamagebecauseozone-precursoremissionsarelowerinthetropicsthantheyareinthenortherntemperateregions.Thenetresult:regionssuchastheUnitedStates,China,andEuropewouldneedtoimportfood;andsupplyingthoseimportswouldbeabenefittotropicalcountries.SuchresultsemphasizethevalueoftheMITapproach.“Thisisthefirsttime,

Ithink,thatpeoplehavelinkedamulti-stressanalysistoaneconomicmodel,takingintoaccountadaptationandinternationaltrade,”Dr.Reillysaid.“Climatechangeisgenerallyseenasworseningthesituationindevelopingcountries,butwecan’tknowthetrueimpactsunlesswealsolookatozoneeffectsandtradeamongregions.”Theozoneprojectionsraisenewcon-cernsabouthowtodesigneffectiveregulations.Accordingtothemodel,ozoneconcentrationsaresohighthatsignificantintercontinentaltransportoccurs.Onceformed,ozonelastsontheorderofmonths.IntheNorthernHemisphere,itistransportedbyprevailingwesterlywindsfromChinatoNorthAmerica,fromNorthAmericatoEurope,andsoon.Muchlesstransportoccursfromnorthtosouth,sotropicalregionsescapethehigherlevelsoftheNorthernHemisphere.Theresearchshowsthattroposphericozoneisrapidlybecomingatrans-boundaryproblemthatcannolongerbecontrolledwithinacountryoranurbanarea.Interestingly,limitingGHGemissionshelps.Ananalysisassuminganaggres-siveprogramtocapGHGsleadstolowerfuelcombustion.Asaresult,emissionsofozoneprecursorsdrop;andglobalozoneconcentrationsin2100arehalfashighastheyareintheBAUcase.Inthatanalysis,cropyieldsdonotbenefitnearlyasmuchfromclimatechangeandCO2,buttheamountofozonedamageissignificantlyreduced.

Future plans

Reillywarnsthatthestudy’sclimateprojectionsmaybeoverlyoptimistic.Theanalysestodateuseatwo-dimensionalclimatesimulation,whichmaynotgeneratesufficiently

detailedresults.Otherstudieswithlarge,three-dimensionalclimatemodelssuggestmorespatialandtemporalvariability,includinganincreasedpossibilityfordrought,particularlyinmid-continentalregions.Theresearchersarenowincorporatingamorerealisticclimatesimulationintotheiranalyses.Theyarealsoaddingotherenviron-mentalstressorsgeneratedbyfuelcombustion.Emissionsofnitrogen,forexample,willencouragevegetationgrowthbutmayalsodisruptthenaturalecosystembyfavoringsomeplantsoverothers.Emissionsofaerosolsandparticulatematterformhaze,whichreducestheamountofsunlightreach-ingtheEarth’ssurface,andalsoaffectcloudformationandprecipitationpatterns.“Itwillbeinterestingtoseehowinclusionoftheimpactsofthosepollutantsinouranalysesaffectstheproductivityoutcomes,particularlyforplaceslikeChinaandIndia,wherethere’salreadyalotofhaze,”saidDr.Reilly.

• • •

This research was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. National Science Foundation, U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, U.S. National Oceano-graphic and Atmospheric Administration, and the industry and foundation sponsors of the MIT Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change. Further information can be found in:

J. Reilly et al. “Global economic effects of changes in crops, pasture, and forests due to changing climate, carbon dioxide, and ozone.” Energy Policy, vol. 35, no. 11, pp. 5370–5383, November 2007.




Students develop methodology for assessing options to cut campus energy use, emissionsAnewmethodologydevelopedasaclassprojectshowsthatmeasuressuchasinstallingenergy-efficientlightingandrepairingsteamtrapsonthecampusheatingsystemcouldreduceMIT’senergyuseandcarbonemis-sions—andsavetheInstitutemoneyatthesametime.TheprojectwaspartofanewMITSloanSchoolofManagementclasscalledLaboratoryforSustainableBusiness,orS-Lab,inwhichmorethan60studentsexploredtheconceptofsustainabilityandthebusinessopportunitiesandchallengesitpresents.Akeyexercisewasteaminguptoworkonreal-worldprojectswithclientsrangingfrommultinationalcorporationsandenergystartupstononprofitsandhealthcareorganizations.ForgraduatestudentsNicholasHofmeisterandBrandonMonkofMITSloanandCydMcKennaoftheDepartmentofUrbanStudiesandPlanning,theclientwasMITitself—morespecifically,theCampusEnergyTaskForceoftheMITEnergyInitiative,alsoknownasthe“WalktheTalk”(WTT)TaskForce.Representingthetaskforcewereitsco-chairLeonR.Glicksman,professorofbuildingtech-nologyandmechanicalengineering,andtaskforcememberStevenM.Lanou,deputydirectorforsustainabilityinMIT’sEnvironmentalProgramsOffice.Themissionofthetaskforceincludesidentifyingandpromotingmeasuresthatcouldbetakenwithinthenextfewyearstoreduceenergyuseandcarbondioxide(CO2)emissionsontheMITcampus.Lanounotedthedifficultyofthatmission.“Possibleprojectsrangefromequipmentupgradesandenergy-efficiencymeasurestorenewable

powersystemsandbehavioralchangeprograms,”hesaid.“Howdowebegintoidentify,assess,andprioritizethoseopportunitiesbasedonbothfinancialmetricsandgreenhousegas-mitigationmetrics?”Hofmeisterandhispartnerstookonthechallenge.AssistedbyEricBeaton,seniorengineerintheSystemsEngi-neeringGroup,andothersinMIT’sDepartmentofFacilities,thestudentsmadealistofaboutahundredpossibleprojectsand—forasmanyaspossible—metricssuchastheimpactonCO2emissions,capitalcost,paybackperiod,netpresentvalue,andreturnoninvest-ment.IncludingbothenvironmentalandfinancialimpactsallowedtheteamtoassessthenetpresentvaluepertonneofCO2-equivalentreduced,whichsummarizes“howmuchbangyougetforyourbuck,”saidLanou.Totrackandstoretheinformation,theteamturnedtoGooglespread-sheets.“Googlespreadsheetsallowedustocreateacollaborativelivingdocument,”saidHofmeister.“Ratherthanhavingonefilethatpeoplehadtopassaround,wehadadocumentthateverybodycouldaccessandworkonsimultaneously.”Theresultofthework—the“CarbonMitigationMatrix”—includesarangeofprojectswithdifferingcharacteristics.Forsome,thecapitalinvestmentrequiredisrelativelylowandwouldbepaidbackbyoperatingsavingswithinafewyearsorless.Examplesincludereplacingconventionallightbulbswithcompactfluorescents;repairingsteamtraps;putting“energymisers”onvendingmachines;andrecommission-ingbuildings,whichinvolvesexaminingallsystemstomakesurethattheyarestilloperatingaccordingtothedesignspecificationswhentheywereinstalled.

Theteamalsoassessedbehavioralchanges,suchasusingrevolvingdoors,shuttingoffcomputersandclosinglaboratoryfumehoodswhenevertheyarenotinuse,andmakingenergy-efficientpurchasingdecisions.Thoseitemsinvolveminimalcapitalcostandwouldhaveasignificantimpact,buttheyrequireeducationalcampaignstohelppeoplechangetheirhabits.Otherprojectsinvolvemajorcapitalinvestmentandlongerpaybackperiods.Examplesincludeinstallationofrenew-ablesystemssuchassolarpanelsandexpansionofMIT’senergy-efficientcogenerationplant—anoptionalreadybeingscrutinizedaspartofautilitymaster-planningeffort.Theteamidentifiedmanyopportunitiestocutenergyuseandgreenhousegasemissionswhilesimultaneouslysavingmoney.Inanumberofcases,theestimatedrateofreturnontheprojectsexceedsthatofMIT’sendowment.“Themethodology[developedbythestudents]willbeavaluabletoolforanyinstitutionputtingtogetheraportfolioofprojectswithdifferentcapitalcosts,paybacktimes,andimpactsonenergyuseandemissions,”saidLanou.“Insomecases,itdemonstratestheeco-nomicaswellasenvironmentalbenefitsofdoingseeminglymundaneprojects.”Thematrixisnota“finalpolishedproduct,”saidPeterCooper,managerofsustainabilityengineeringandutilityplanningintheDepartmentofFacilities.Indeed,MITandotheruniversitiesareengagedinongoingdiscussionsaboutexactlyhowtocalculatethereductioninCO2emissionsassociatedwithbuyingonefewerkilowatt-hourofelectricity.Thatreductionvarieswiththemixoffuelsusedtogeneratethepowersuppliedoverthegrid.


Nevertheless,Coopercalledthematrixa“goodtooltogetusonourway.”ManyitemsonthematrixwereknowntoFacilities,butitalsoelicitedlotsofnewideas,especiallythoserelatingtochangesinbehavior.“ThematrixservedagoodpurposeinthefirstyearoftheEnergyInitiativetocollectideaswithoutjudgingthemandtoshowthattherearetwodifferentkindsofideasthatcouldgetimplementedrequiringdifferentskillsanddifferentpeopletogetthemdone,”Coopersaid.Accordingly,theWTTTaskForceformedtwosubgroups,onelargelypopulatedbyFacilitiespeoplewhocandoengineeredchanges,andtheotherbycampusleadersonrecyclingandothersexperiencedinpromotingbehavioralchanges.ToJohnD.Sterman,theJayW.ForresterProfessorofManagementandEngineeringSystemsandoneoftheS-Labinstructors,developingthematrixwasanidealclassproject.Studentsdemonstratedforthemselvesandforothersthatinvestingintheenvironmentdoesnothavetocomeatafiscalcost;indeed,itcanbringasignificantfiscalgain.“Oftenthere’snotradeoff,”Stermansaid.“Bymakingtheseinvestmentswecanhelptheenvironmentandsavemoney.”

• • •


Making a difference: Research opportunities for undergradsHowcanMITundergraduatescontrib-utetoanewenergyfutureandasustainableworld?SamMaurer’07refinedareactorforthermaldecom-positionofwastebiomass.MonicaLewis’06exploredthepotentialforusinginnovativegreenbuildingtechniquestoreducetheenviron-mentalfootprintofMITdorms.MargaretAvener’07wadedthroughthewet-landsofAugusta,GA,tostudywaterflowanditsabilitytocarrychemicalcontaminants.MITstudentshaverespondedtotheMITEnergyInitiative(MITEI)withasurgeofnewideasformeetingglobalenergychallengesandacommitmenttoinvestigateandimplementsolutions.UndergraduateswanttointegrateenergyandsustainabilityintotheiracademicworkatMITandaddressthosepressingconcernsaspartoftheirMITcareer.IncoordinationwithMIT’sUndergraduateResearchOpportunitiesProgram(UROP),theMITEIEducationOfficeprovidesunder-graduatesameansofpursuingthoseinterestsbyparticipatinginenergy-andsustainability-relatedresearch.TheMITEIEducationOfficeisexpand-ingthespecialUROPfundingoppor-tunitiesitofferstoconnectmorestudentstonewresearchinenergy,environment,andsustainability.OfspecialnotearepositionsavailablethroughtheCampusSustainabilityUROP(CSUROP)ProgramandtheMartinFamilyUROPProgram.IntheCSUROPProgram,theMITEIEducationOfficepartnerswithMIToperations—notablytheEnvironmentalProgramsOffice(EPO)andtheDepart-mentofFacilities—toenablestudentstostudyMIT’sownenergyandenviron-mentalchallengesandthelessonsMIT’scampuscanprovideforlocalandglobal

applications.SomestudentsstudytechnicalinnovationsthatareapplicabletoMIT’soperationsandinfrastructure.MonicaLewis’sstudyofhowtogreenMIT’sdormsisaprimeexample—onethatbroughtMITHousingintoanewconversationwiththeDepartmentofFacilitiesandMITEI.Otherstudentsinvestigateinnovativeimplementationandfinancingstrategies.AnnikaLarsson’08,forexample,benchmarkedcurrentuniversitymodelsofrevolvingloanfundsforenergyefficiencyimprovements,afinancingstrategythatiscurrentlybeingimplementedatuniversitiesaroundthecountry.CSUROPprojectshavealsoexaminedthehumanbehaviorcomponentsofsystems,forexample,analyzinglaborprocessesandpubliccommunicationsrelatedtorecyclingoncampus.ThreeCSUROPsfocusedontheproposedon-campusBiodiesel@MITprocessor,whichwouldconvertusedvegetableoiltobiodieselfortransportationfuel.Theissuesaddressedwerefuelcertification,logisticsoftransportandproduction,andopportunitiesforeducationandprojectdocumentation.AninnovativefeatureoftheCSUROPProgramisthateachstudentissuper-visedbyanMITfacultymemberinconjunctionwithastaffmemberinMIToperations.Bothguidestudentworktoassurethatstudentlearninggoalsareservedandthatoperationsneedsaremet.AllparticipatingstudentsprovideaconcludingpresentationtowhichtheyinvitekeyMITfacultyandstaffwhomaybeinterestedinoraffectedbytheresearchfindings.ThepresentationsbothinformMITprojectsandgivestudentsexperiencespeakingbeforeaprofessionalaudience.

rogermoore,mit’ssuperintendentofutilities,explainstheworkingsofthemitcogenerationplanttovisitingmitstudents.thecogenera-tionfacility,whichcombinestheproductionofelectricityandsteam,reducedgreenhousegasemissionsby30%afteritcameonlinein1995.

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MITEI Education Office

Amanda Graham, [email protected]

Beth ConlinEducationCoordinatorandStudentLiaisonE40-481617.452.3199bconlin@mit.edu

Karen [email protected]


StevenM.Lanou,deputydirectorforsustainabilityintheEPOandamemberofMITEI’sCampusEnergyTaskForce,helpsidentifyanddevelopCSUROPprojectsandcoordinatestheparticipa-tionofMIToperations.“Undergraduateresearchprovidesimportantinforma-tionthatcanenhancetheeffectivenessofcampusenergyprojects,”saidLanou.“TheCSUROPProgramisavaluablemechanismforsupportingthistypeofresearch,andweintheEPOarethrilledtobeabletopartnerwithMITEI.”TheMartinFamilyUROPProgrambuildsonthegeneroussupportpro-videdbytheMartinfamilyforgraduateresearchinsustainabilityacrosstheInstitute.MITundergraduateswhomeettheacademicrequirementsoftheprogramareabletoworkwithaMartingraduatefellowonresearchcontributingtoglobalsustainability.ThegoalsoftheprogramaretoconnectMartinUROPstudentstoamentorinresearch,toshowthemnewpathwaystoresearchcareers,andtogivethemanewperspectiveontheapplicationofresearchtosustainabilityprojects.AnyMITfacultymemberiseligibletonominateoneoutstandinggraduate

studentworkinginsustainability-orientedresearchatMITforaMartinFellowship.MartingraduatefellowsmaythenrequestfundingforaMartinFamilyUROP.StudentsfromallschoolsanddepartmentsatMITareeligibleforMartinUROPs,whichmaycoincidewiththeirmajororaddressadifferentfieldofstudy.Theopportunitiesavailablevarywidely.Forexample,theresearchtopicsaddressedbycurrentMartingraduatefellowsrangefromadvancedphotovoltaicmaterialstomathematicalpatternsofinfectiontransmissiontonegotiationofenvironmentaldisputes.

FormoreinformationandalistofcurrentUROPopeningsforspring2008,gotoourUROPsite,currentlyhousedontheLFEEwebsiteat.

InformationontheMartinFellow-shipprogramsisavailableat.NominationsforMartinFellowsandMartinFamilyUROPsforthe2008–2009academicyeararedueFebruary27,2008.

Ifyouhavequestions,pleasecontactBethConlin,MITEIEducationCoordinatorandStudentLiaison,[email protected].

• • •

By Beth Conlin, MIT Energy Initiative and Laboratory for Energy and the Environment

miteieducationofficestaff:fromleft,Bethconlin,Karenluxton,andAmandagraham.

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e d u c A t i o n

Stackable cars, alternative energy highlight MIT Energy NightTheairhummedwithpossibilitiesinmidOctoberwhen1,200peoplecrowdedintotheMITMuseumforthethirdannualMITEnergyNight,whichfeaturedmorethan40studentandcompanypresenters.“Theeventshowcasesthemostexcitingresearch,technology,labs,andstartupscomingoutofMIT,”saidMattAlbrecht,asecond-yearMITSloanSchoolofManagementstudentandco-directoroftheeventalongwithelectricalengineeringmaster’sdegreestudentFergusHurly.“Theeventisacatalystfornetworking,collaborating,andgenerat-ingnewbusinessideas,”Albrechtsaid.AddedJasonRoeder,asecond-yearMITSloanstudent:“EnergyNighttrulyexhibitsthepassionandexcitementregardingenergyatMIT.”Albrechtsaidthisyear’sEnergyNightattractedtwiceasmanyattendeesaslastyear’s.Nextyear’sEnergyNightalreadyisscheduledforOctober10,2008,likelyagainattheMITMuseum.TheMITEnergyClubsponsoredthe2007eventalongwithcorporatesponsorsShell,venturecapitalistfirmGeneralCatalyst,CambridgeEnergyResearchAssociates,EnerNOC,andBritishPetroleum.Theeventfeaturedboothsanddis-playsbyMITlaboratories,includingthePlasmaScienceandFusionCenter,theEnvironmentallyBenignManu-facturingResearchGroup,andtheEarthResourcesLaboratory.AlsoonhandweretheMITEnergyInitiative;DraperLaboratory;companiesincludingA123Systems,C3BioEnergy,andEnerNOC;andstudentgroupssuchastheMITGeneratorandBiodiesel@MIT.GeneralMotors’newplug-inhybridvehicle,theChevroletVolt,highlighted

thenightasattendeesreceivedanup-closeviewofthesportscarbeforeenteringtheMITMuseum.SurpriseguestCraigCornelius,SolarProgramsdirectorattheU.S.DepartmentofEnergy,alsostoppedintoseewhatthebuzzwasabout.Students,faculty,staff,businesspro-fessionals,andothersexaminedpostersanddisplays,sampledhorsd’oeuvres,listenedtolivejazz,andchattedwithpresenters.WillLark,athird-yearPhDcandidateinmediaartsandsciencesattheMediaLab,foundhimselfamidathrongofpeopleaskingwhenandwheretheCityCarstackablevehicleondisplaywouldhitcitystreets.Thetwo-passengerelectriccarisdesignedtobesharedindenseurbanareasasanadjuncttopublictransportation.Forexample,acommutercoulddriveitfromatrainstationtowork.Thecarcanbestackedatvariouspointsaroundacityandwillusecitypowertorechargewhenparked.“Peopleweren’tquestioningifitworkedbutratherwhatisnext,whatcityitwillbestartedin,andhowwe’llimplementit,”Larksaid.“Peoplewereexcitedaboutthecar.”TheMediaLabisnowindiscussionsaboutmovingtheCityCarbeyondtheconceptstageandintomanufacturing.EncountersatEnergyNightcanleadtointerestingopportunities.AndrewPeterson,aPhDcandidateinchemicalengineeringwhohasexhibitedallthreeyearsofEnergyNight,recalledachancemeetingwhenHarvardBusinessSchoolstudentTracyMathewsdroppedbyhisposteratlastyear’sevent.“Sheaskedalotoftoughquestionsaboutourmethaneposterandmademefeeluncomfortable,”Petersonsaid.

“ImadeamentalnotethatthisissomeoneIwantonmysideinthefuture.”Thatfuturecamesoonerratherthanlater.Overthepastyear,PetersonandfellowMITchemicalengineeringPhDcandidateCurtFischercameupwithanideaforrenewablepropanegas

excitementbuzzedatthethirdannualenergynightasvisitorspeeredatpostersanddisplays,chattedwiththeresearchersinvolved,andsocializedwithoneanother.organizedbythemitenergyclubandheldatthemitmuseum,thisannualeventgathersthescience,engineering,policy,andbusinessenergycommunitiesatmitandshowcasesthemostexcitingenergyactivitiesacrosstheinstitute.

graduatestudentdavidBradwellofthedepartmentofmaterialsscienceandengineeringtellsenergynightvisitorsabouthisresearchonalarge-scale,high-amperageenergystoragedevicethatcouldsupportrenewableenergytechnologies.usedwithwindpowersystems,forexample,thedevicecouldensurethatelectricityisavailableforcustomersevenwhenthewindisnotblowing.

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production.TheyenlistedMathews,andtogetherthethreestudentsformedC3BioEnergy,acompanydesignedtocommercializethetechnology.Theywonseveralprizesthispastyear,includingasrunner-upinMIT’s$100KEntrepreneurshipCompetitionandinHarvardBusinessSchool’sBusinessPlanContest.AnotherdisplayfocusingonalternativeenergywasBiovolt,ateamofstudentsbuildingaprototypedevicetomoreefficientlygenerateelectricityfromcellulose-basedbiomass.Theirconceptinvolvesusingdifferentbacteriatobreakdownthecellulose,eventuallyproducingprotonsandelectrons,whichareusedtopowerafuelcell.Thehandhelddevicecouldbeusedtopowercellphonesandhouseholddevices,especiallyinoff-gridlocationssuchasdevelopingcountries.TheBiovoltteamsteppedupactivityonitsprojectwhenitenteredtheinauguralMADMEC,orMITandDowMaterialsEngineeringContest,whichtheteamultimatelywon.“Otherpeoplehaddonemicrobialfuelcells,”explainedJosephWalish,aBiovoltteammemberandPhD

e d u c A t i o n

candidateinmaterialsscienceengineer-ing.“Butnoone[atthetime]hadputtogetheragroupofsymbioticbacteriainoneself-sustainingunit.”Tomaketheirdevicemoremarketable,theteamcutthecostoftherechargerdevice.“Weusedanon-platinumcata-lystforthefuelcells,whichdecreasedcostanorderofmagnitude,”Walishsaid.“Thathelpeduswinthecontest.”Thosewereamongtheprojectshigh-lightingthecutting-edgeworkonalternativeenergybeingdoneatMIT.Otherprojectsdisplayedresearchonhigh-currentenergystorage,nanotube-enhancedultracapacitors,floatingwindturbines,alternativetransportationfuels,advancednuclearenergyplants,algalfuelcells,syntheticgas,carboncapture,andphotovoltaicnanodefectengineering.

• • •

Martin Fellows welcomedAtadinnerheldonSeptember24,2007,21graduatestudentsfromacrosstheInstitutewerewelcomedintotheMartinFamilySocietyofFellowsforSustain-abilityfortheacademicyear2007–2008.ThenewFellowswillengageinresearchontopicsrangingfromtheecologyofmarinemicrobestohurricaneprepared-nesstothedevelopmentofsimulationtoolsforsustainablebuildingdesign.TheMartinFamilySocietywasestab-lishedatMITin1996byLee’42andGeraldineMartintofostergraduate-levelresearch,education,andcollabo-rationonissuesrelatingtosustainability.Since2006,theMartinFoundationhasalsobeenprovidingsupportforMITundergraduatesinvolvedinsustainabilityresearchthroughMIT’sUndergraduateResearchOpportunitiesProgram(UROP).Each“MartinUROP”collaborateswithaMartingraduatefellowandafacultysupervisoronasustainability-relatedresearchproject.

visitorstoenergynighttookturnssittinginaprototypeofthemitmedialab’scitycar,atwo-passengerelectricvehiclethatcanbefolded,stackedupwithothers,andrechargedatsubwaystationsandothercentralsites.Apassengerarrivingbysubwayorbussimplytakesafullychargedvehiclefromthefrontofthestackandthenreturnsittoastacknearhisorherdestinationsothatitisavailableforotherstouse.

inherkeynotespeech,rebeccahenderson,theeastmanKodaklfmprofessorofmanagementatthemitsloanschoolofmanagementandamemberofthemiteienergycouncil,bothentertainedandinspiredmartinfellowsandtheiradvisors.usinghistoricalexamples,shedemonstratedforthemthepowerofsmallgroupsofdedicated,visionarypeopletoover-comeseeminglyinsurmountablechallengessuchastheworldenergysituation.


inapresentationatthedinner,caspermartin,adirectorofthemartinfoundation,inc.,readthroughthelistofglobalproblemscoveredinthe1984stateoftheWorldreportfromtheWorldwatchinstitute.herelayedhisdismayatfindingthatmanyofthesameproblemsarefeaturedinthe2007versionofthereport.hethenexhortedthenewmartinfellowstoredoubletheirenthusiasmandcommitmenttoleadingtheworldtowardasustainablefuture.

martinuropAlexandrapatriciatcaciuc’09,left,adoublemajorinenvironmentalengineer-ingandchemistry,poseswithcharulekavaradharajan,amartinfellowfrom2005–2006.theyarecollaboratingonfieldworkanddataanalysistobetterunderstandmethanefluxesintheuppermysticlakeinWoburn.theirfacultysupervisorisharoldf.hemond,theWilliame.leonhardprofessorinthedepart-mentofcivilandenvironmentalengineering.

An MIT first: Competing in DOE’s Solar Decathlon

e d u c A t i o n

Lastspring,ateamofMITstudents,faculty,andvolunteerstookonthechallengeofdesigningandbuildingahousethatreliesentirelyonsolarenergytomeettheelectricityneedsofatypicalAmericanfamily,fromdryingtowelstocookingdinner.Forthefirsttime,MIThadanentryintheU.S.DepartmentofEnergy’sannualSolarDecathlon—avillageof20off-gridsolarhomesthatwerebuiltbycollegestudents,assembledontheNationalMallinWashington,andopentothepublicOctober12–20,2007.OnceassembledintheSolarDecathlonVillage,each800-square-footsolarhomeviedforpointsin10categoriesrelatedtoenergyefficiency,design,andmarketability.AmongthetaskssetbytheDOE:eachteamhadtoheatabucketofwaterto110°F,prepareathree-coursevegetarianmealforfourorfiveoftheirneighbors,washandfluff-dryaloadoftowels—andontopofallthatgenerateenoughelectricitytopoweranelectriccar.AlthoughtheMITentry—dubbedSolar7—didnotwin,itdidsucceedwith

thepublic.“Althoughwegot13thinthecompetition,wewereverypopularwiththetourists,”saidteammemberDianaHusmann,aseniormajoringinphysics.“Andsincethepointofthecompetitionwastoshowthatsolarcanbebothpowerfulandbeautiful,weallagreedthat,intheend,wewereacompletesuccess.”CoreyFucetola,studentleaderoftheSolar7projectandagraduatestudentinelectricalengineeringandcomputerscience,said,“Thebestwaytochangehumanbehavioristogivepeopletheinformationtheyneedtochange.”Andthe25,000visitorswhotouredthesolarhomesgotcountlessinsightsintohowtolivecomfortablyoff-grid.

Special features of Solar7

Solar7wasdesignedandbuiltonanasphaltlotatMIT,thenbrokenintomodulesandsentbyflatbedtrucktoWashington,whereitwasreassembledbyabout20MITstudentsandvolun-teers.Thefinishedproductcontainsakitchen,fullbathroom,livinganddiningarea,andflexiblebedroom/officespace,definedbyopaquepocket

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doors.Ithasawide,graciousdeckandrampsforaccessibility.Whilethespacesinthehousesoundconventional,otheraspectsofSolar7arefarfromconventional.LikeallSolarDecathlonentries,Solar7hadtomeetspecificlivabilitystandards.Ithadtoretainwarmthbutnotbakeitsresi-dents.Ithadtoprovidesufficientlighttoendurerainydays,supplywarmwaterforshowers,behandicapped-accessible,andstoreenoughenergytorunadishwasherandanelectriccar.Andithadtobemadefromcommercialbuildingmaterialsandavailabletechnologies—noweirdscience,nofresh-from-the-labcontraptions.“You[couldn’t]yanksomethingoutofthelabandthrowitupontheroof.You[had]touseproduction-gradeproducts,”saidKurtKeville,advisortotheSolar7teamandaresearchspecialistattheInstituteforSoldierNanotechnologies.Duringthehalf-yearofconstruction,Keville,Fucetola,andconstructionmanagerTomPittsleyhadplentyoftechnologyandnewmaterialstokeeptheirinterestandtoengagetheweekendwarriorsmanagedbyvolunteercoordinatorArlisReynolds.

Foranypassivesolarhome,thechal-lengeiskeepingtheheat.Solar7hasasouth-facinglightwallmadeof1-foot-thicksquaretiles.Eachtilelookslikeasandwich:Twoopaqueplasticsquaresarethe“bread”forafillingofwaterandalayerofathermalinsulatinggelspreadontheinsideofoneofthetile’s“slices.”Theinsulatinggeltransfersthesun’sheatfromtheoutside,throughthewater,totheinsidewall.Energy-efficientwindowsmadeofthreepanelsofglasswithkryptongasasaninsulatorareusedelsewhereinthehouse.Photovoltaiccellscoverthesouth-facingroofofSolar7anddotheheavylifting,energy-wise.Theyproduceabout9kilowattsofpeakgeneration.Electricityisstoredin24batteries,whichcanholdabout70kilowatt-hoursandcanpowerthehouseforabout48hours.Thebatteriesalsohadtopowertheteam’selectriccar—akeyelementintheDOEchallenge.Solar7’ssouthfacealsoholds60evacuatedtubesthatcarrysolar-heatedwaterintothehouseforshowersandwashingandforcirculationinthewarmboards,aradiantheatingsystembasedonamoldedsubfloorthatisembeddedwithplastictubing.

MIT’s long history of solar houses

IntypicalMITfashion,theSolar7teamisalreadybeginningtoplanforthenextSolarDecathlon,tobeheldinOctober2009.Afterall,MITisnonewcomertothechallengeofdesigningasolar-poweredhouse.Solar7isso-namedbecauseithadsixpredecessors.In1938,GodfreyLowellCabotgaveMITagifttobeusedforthedevelop-mentof“theartofconvertingtheenergyofthesuntotheuseofman.”TheendowmentenabledthecreationofMIT’sSolarEnergyResearchProject,a50-yeareffortinvolvingthedesignandconstructionofsixexperimentalorprototypicalsolarhouses.SolarI,completedin1939,wasthefirsthouseinAmericatobeheatedbythesun’senergy.FormoreinformationaboutSolar7andtheMITteam,goto.

• • •

By Sarah Wright, MIT News Office

e d u c A t i o n

petermacdougal,avolunteerfromindepen-denceenergy,andmitgraduatestudentKelliestokesinstallsolarpanelsontheroofofsolar7.

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ft left:mit’ssolar7home,designedandbuiltbystudentsanddisplayedhereatthesolardecathloncontestinWashington,d.c.,waspopularwithvisitorsandinspiredplansforthe2009competition.



MITEI supports student innovators to help reduce MIT’s energy, environmental footprintDanWesolowskilookedoutfromthesecondfloorofMIT’sBuildingE25,watchingindismayasstudentsandfacultyalikeignoredsignstousetherevolvingdoorbelowhimandsaveenergy.PersonafterpersoncomingfromthenearbyKendallSquaresubwaywalkedthroughtheswingdoortothesideoftherevolvingdoor.“AsinglepersonwalkingthrougharevolvingdoorinFebruarysavesenoughenergytolighta60-wattlightbulbfor23minutes,”saidWesolowski,afourth-yearPhDcandidateinmaterialsscienceandengineering.Ifeveryoneusedtherevolvingdoors,MITwouldsaveabout$7,500innaturalgasayearinE25alone,whichhastwoofthe29revolvingdoorsoncampus.TheMITEnergyInitiative(MITEI)isnowsupportingastudentplantoencouragethatbehavior.WesolowskiandthreeclassmatesstartedtheirRevolvingDoorCampaignacoupleofyearsagoaspartofaprojectforaclassinsustain-abilityandplanning.Intestsaroundcampus,their11x17-inchsignssaying“HelpConserveEnergy,PleaseUsetheRevolvingDoor”increasedrevolvingdooruseto65%from23%.Basedonthoseresults,MITEIisprovidingfundsforprintingandinstallingpedestal-mountedsignsatfiverevolvingdoorsacrosscampus.TheprojectwasoneofsevenselectedearlierthisyearbyMITEI’snewStudentCampusEnergyProjectFund.Twiceyearly,thefundmakesmoneyavailabletostudentstoundertakeprojectsinlinewiththeEnergyInitiative’sCampusEnergyTaskForce.ThefundwasseededbyMITEIwith$10,000,plusasupple-mentaldonationof$5,000fromShellOilCompany.

Theotherprojectsfundedinthefirstroundinclude:

• Wind Turbine Design Competition willberunforthefirsttimeduringIndependentActivitiesPeriod2008.Studentswillhaveanopportunitytodesignandbuildawindturbinecapableofharvestingelectricalenergyfromthewind.

• MIT Generator isacoalitionofstudentgroupsaimingtocatalyzeandsupportstudentprojectswithafocusonenergy,environment,andsustainabilityissuesonMIT’scampus.Thegoalfor2007–2008istoexpandthecommunityofstudentsinvolvedincampusenergyprojectsthroughmoreextensiveoutreach.

• Publicity and Recruitment Book-lets for the MIT Sustainability Community isanUndergraduateAssociationCampusSustainabilityCommitteeproject.Itpublisheda

bookletforfreshmanorientationtorecruitincomingstudentsforsustainabilityactivitiesoncampus.

• Campus Climate Project (Focus the Nation)aimstowidenaware-nessandconversationaboutclimatechangeoncampusandtomotivateandempowerstudentstotakeactiononthisissue.TheprojectwillbepartofthenationallinkofeventsonJanuary31,2008,knownas“FocustheNation:GlobalWarmingSolu-tionsforAmerica.”ItwillincludeseminarsduringthesecondweekofspringsemesterinFebruary2008.

• Plug Load Meters for Appliance Use Case Studieswillmeasureenergyconsumptioninmoredetailthanatthegeneralbuildingleveltoincludeitemssuchasappliances.Thegoalistoinfluenceuserbehaviorbyprovidinginformationabouthowmuchandforwhatpurposeenergyisconsumedwithineachbuilding.

AttheActivitiesmidwayduringmitorientation,seniorAustinoehlerking,chairoftheunder-graduateAssociationcommitteeoncampussustainability,talkswithfirst-yearstudentJaredtrotteraboutcampussustainabilityactivitiesandthenewGuide to Sustainability@MIT. thebooklet,preparedwithmiteisupport,containsinformationonmit’sstudentgroups,clubs,andinitiativesfocusingonenergy,theenvironment,andsustainability.

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• Energy Map ProjecthasdevelopedaprototypemapthatdisplaysenergyuseintensityinvariousMITbuild-ingswithacolorscale.Awebsitefordisplayingandupdatingthemapisnowunderdevelopment(goto).

“Thisfirstroundofprojectsisjustthetipoftheiceberg,”saidStevenLanou,deputydirectorforsustainabilityinMIT’sEnvironmentalProgramsOfficeandamemberofthegrantreviewcommittee.“Withanotherroundoffundingavailablethissemester,Iexpecttoseetheingenuityandcreativityofstudentprojectscontinuetogrowandinspireustodomoretoreduceourenergyfootprintandleadwithinnova-tiveapproaches.”Whiletheprojectsdoplaceademandonstudents’time,theycanbeawelcomediversionfromdailystudies,accordingtoTarekRached.HeandfellowgraduatestudentStevenPetersareinvolvedintheEnergyMapProject,whichisdesignedtoreduceenergyuseinMIT’sbuildings.Energycon-sumptioninbuildingsaccountsforthevastmajorityofcampusenergyuseandproducesmorethan90%ofMIT’sgreenhousegasemissions.But


mostbuildingsareusedwithoutanyfeedbacktotheoccupantsandopera-tors.TheprojectaimstodeveloptoolstomeasureandanalyzeMIT’scampusenergyuse,suchastheenergymap.ThestudentsarenowgettingmonthlydatafromMIT’sDepartmentofFacilitiesonenergyuseinMITbuildingsdatingbackfiveyears.“Thenextphaseistolaunchanautomateddisplaysystemtogetreal-timedataonthewebsopeoplecanseewhatisgoingonintheirbuilding,”Rachedsaid.“Wewanttogetpeopleinvolvedtochangebehavior.”Thatincludesgettingincomingfresh-meninvolvedincampusenergyactivi-tiesfromtheget-go.AustinOehlerking,asenior,becameinterestedinsustain-ableenergyaftertakingacourseduringIndependentActivitiesPeriodlastyear.Hewasinstrumentalindevelopingtheorientationbookletfor2007togetfreshmeninterestedinsustainabilitycommunitiesthroughoutMIT.“Thereareatleast12differentstudentgroups,”hesaid.“Somanydifferentprojectsaregoingonthatitishardforpeopletograsp.Thebookletisagreatopportu-nityforthemtofindtheirnicheamongsustainabilityeffortsoncampus.”

• • •

Withmiteisupport,ateamofmitstudentsdevelopedsoftwarethatgeneratedthismapshowingenergyuseintensityacrosscampus,buildingbybuilding.thestudentsarenowdevelopinganautomateddisplaysystemthatwillpostreal-timeenergyusedataonthewebsobuildingoccupantscancheckontheirbuilding’susage.

forthefirsttimeinmorethanthirtyyears,theiconicgreatdomeofmit’sBuilding10isilluminated—anighttimebeacononthecambridgeskyline.theenergy-intensivelightingarrangementofthepasthasbeenreplacedbyanewsystemincorporating12energy-savinglight-emittingdiode(led)fixturesandhigh-efficiencyprecisionmetalhalidefixturesthatlighttheentiredomeusingthesameamountofelectricityneededtoruntwohairdryers.thenewlightingsystemwasmadepossiblebyagenerouscontributionfromananonymousdonor.

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tooffsettheelectricityconsumedinlightingthedome,thesamedonoralsoprovidedfundstohelppayforthenew40-kilowattphoto-voltaicarrayshownhere.mountedontheroofoftheAlumnipool,thissolarinstallationisconnectedtomit’selectricalgridandprovidesthreetofourtimestheelectricalenergyconsumedinlightingthedome.thepurchaseofthesolararraywasalsosupportedbyagrantfromthemassachusettstechnologycollaborative.

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Dorm Electricity Competition: MIT students save energy where it counts


ResidentsofNewHouseaddedtheirownflairtoMIT’sfirstDormElectricityCompetitionbyhostingaglow-in-the-darkping-pongmatch.“Thiswasanexcellentidea,”saidTimGrejtak,amechanicalengineeringsophomoreandco-organizeroftheeventwithArielEsposito,aseniorinenvironmentalengineering.Thetwoareplanningasecondcompetitionforspring2008thattheyhopewillgenerateevenmoreenthusiasm.TheDormElectricityCompetitionawarded$10,000inenergyefficiencyretrofitsandimprovementstotheundergraduatedormthatconservedthemostelectricityoveratwo-monthperiodfromMarch9toMay4,2007.Thedatesforthenextcompetitionhavenotyetbeenset.McCormickHallwonthe2007com-petition,savinganaverageof25.95kilowatt-hoursperstudentperweekovertheeightweeks.The11dormsthatparticipatedsavedatotalof226megawatt-hours,enoughtopower21homesforayearandtosaveMITaround$30,000inenergycosts.TheretrofitsatMcCormickhavenotyetbegun,butoptionsbeingexaminedincludeinstallingenergy-efficientcompactfluorescentlightsaswellasoccupancysensorsthatturnoffthelightswhenaroomisvacant.Suchretrofitscouldsavethedormabout15%inelectricitycosts.Grejtakemphasizedthatitisnottoodifficultforstudentstosaveenergy.Simplestepsliketurningofflights,washingclothesincoolwater,unplug-gingcomputerdisplaystoavoidcurrentleakage,andsettinglaptopstothehibernatemodecouldsaveafewkilowatt-hoursperstudent

perday.Everybitaddstotheoveralldormenergysavings.“Thesimpleactofknowinghowmuchenergyyouareusingcanchangebehavior,”Grejtaksaid,addingthatoneoptionbeinglookedatisinstallingwirelessmetersthatmonitorelectricaluseandsendreal-timedatatoaweb-site.Withthesemeters,studentscouldgetup-to-the-minuteinformationontheirenergyuse.GrejtakandEspositoagreedthatthegoalistogetstudentstomakelong-termbehavioralchanges.Otherschools,suchasTuftsUniversity,havesimilarprogramsbutdonotofferacompre-hensiveretrofitasaprize.“It’saboutsustainablebehavioralchange,”saidEsposito.“Wedon’taskpeopletoturnofftheirfridgesduringthecampaign,onlytohavethemturnthembackonafterward.”Espositosaidlastyear’scompetitionyieldedsomevaluablelessons.Onemainonewastogetalongerbaselinebeforethecompetitionstarts.Lastyear,thecompetitionorganizershadeachdorm’senergyusemeasuredforoneweek;nextyear,theywillmeasureabaselineforalongertimeperiod,

makingtheweeklymeasurementcomparisonsduringthecompetitionmoreaccurate.Theorganizerscurrentlyareraisingmoneyforthecompetition.Lastyear,theMITEnergyInitiative(MITEI)contributedfundsforthecontest’soperatingcosts.TheMITHousingDepartmentprovidedthe$10,000fortheaward.TheorganizersarelookingforrenewedsupportfromtheHousingDepartmentandarealsopursuingcorporateandotherfundingsources.Thisyear,thecompetitionorganizershavealreadybeenawardedfundsfromtheMITEI’sStudentCampusEnergyProjectFund.Espositoalsowantsmoreparticipantsinthecontestthanthe11undergradu-atedorms.Sheishopingthatoutreacheffortswillattractsomeofthe26undergraduatefraternities,sororities,andindependentlivinggroupsoncampus,aswellassomeofthegradu-atedorms.Thecompetitionwillstartwithakickoffeventinthestudentcenterwithabandandfreefood.Therewillalsobeeventsduringthecompetitiontoencouragecontinuedparticipation.Throughoutthecompetition,theorganizerswillworkwithdormcoordinatorstosuggestspecificactivitiesfortheiruniquelivingenvironments.Forexample,Simmonshasmorecommonareaswherelightscanbeturnedoff,whileBexleyresidentsmaywanttofocusmoreonturningoffindividualroomlights.Ittakessomeincentivetogetstudentstosaveenergy;butoncetheydo,theycontinuethisbehavior.“Thecom-petitionisalotoffun,”saidEsposito.“Itraisesawarenessabouthowmuchenergypeopleuseandhowmuchtheycansave.”

the2007winner,mccormickhall.formoreinformationonthecompetition,pleasegoto.

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AGS annual meeting to be held at MITThecomplexityofrespondingtothechallengesofclimatechangeandsus-tainabilityhasmadetimelyandeffec-tiveactiondifficult.Astrongcurrentofpessimismrunsthroughthepublicdialogue,whichseemstohaveevolvedfrom“nothingiswrongsoweneedtodonothing”to“everythingissowrongthatthereisnothingwecando.”Butitisnottoolate.Instead,itistimetodeploytheknowledgewehave—orwillsoonhave—toidentifyandpursuepathwaystowardsustainability.DesigningsuchpathwayswillbethefocusoftheupcomingannualmeetingoftheAllianceforGlobalSustainability(AGS),tobehostedatMITonJanuary28–31,2008.Themeeting,titled“DesigningPathwaysforaSustainableWorld:atScale,inTime,andforAll,”willbuildonprogressmadein2007todevelopAGS’s“pathways”conceptasaframeworkforadvancingnear-termtransitionstosustainability.Themeetingwillbringtogetherabout200internationalscholars,businessleaders,andrepresentativesfromgovernmentsandnongovernmentalorganizations.Dr.R.K.Pachauri,director-generaloftheEnergyandResourcesInstitute(formerlytheTataEnergyResearchInstitute)andchair-manoftheIntergovernmentalPanelonClimateChange(awinnerofthisyear’sNobelPeacePrize),willgivethekeynotespeech.ImmediatelyfollowingwillbeapaneldiscussionwithIPCCleadauthors.BothwillbeopentotheMITcommunity.

Thebasisofthepathwaysconceptisdefininghowwetransitionfromourpresentsystems,basedontoday’stechnologies,infrastructures,andmarkets,towardmoresustainablesystems.Innavigatingthistransition,wemustconsiderthescale,timing,andsocialequityofproposedbridgingtechnologiesandstrategiesaswerespondtotheurgentneedforsub-stantiveactiononclimate,energy,food,andwaterchallenges.DuringtheAGSmeeting,participantswilljoinpaneldiscussionsandparallelbreakoutsessionsfocusingontechnol-ogyandpolicyoptionsandontheeducationalchallengestodevelopingthepathways.Topicswillincludehowpathwayscanbedesignedandimple-mentedintimetomakeadifference,howinteractionsbetweensocietalsectorsandresearchuniversitiescanbemademoreeffective,perspectivesofagentsofchangeandtheirinnovativeapproaches,andimplicationsofnewpathwaysforthedevelopingworld.Onthefinalday,discussionsinthevarioussessionswillbesynthesizedandactionstepsdefinedformeetingidentifiedchallenges.Formoreinformationabouttheconference,includingtheprogramandonlineregistration,pleasegoto.

• • •

By Karen Gibson, MIT Energy Initiative and Laboratory for Energy and the Environment

AltWheels festival

Bostonmayorthomash.menino(left),AltWheelsfounderAlisonsander,andmassachusettssecretaryofenergyandenvironmentalAffairsianBowlesattheAltWheelsgreenpioneersawardsceremony.

Forthefifthyearinarow,LaboratoryforEnergyandtheEnvironmentstaffhelpedorganizeandruntheAltWheelsAlternativeTransportationandEnergyFestivalinSeptember2007(www.altwheels.org).HeldonBostonCityHallPlaza,thetwo-dayfestivalshowed35,000visitorsabroadvarietyofcurrentandfuturecleanenergytechnologiesandpractices.The150exhibitorsincludedmajorautomobilemanufacturersshowinghybrid,flex-fuel,andhydrogenvehicles;publictransportationagencies;car-sharingorganizations;alternativefuelsuppliers;andmore.AlongtheEnergyFreedomTrail™,interactiveexhibitsbygrassrootsorganizationsandlocalmuseumsshowedhowtosaveenergy,“buygreen,”andreduce,reuse,andrecycle.

AltWheelsattendeescheckoutbiodiesel-andvegetable-oil-fueledcarsandtrucksalongBiodieselBoulevard.

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28-31 January 2008 | Cambridge, MA USA

Designing Pathways for a Sustainable World:at Scale, in Time, and for All

The AGS Annual Meeting hosted by MIT

Winter 2008 | MIT Energy Initiative | Energy Futures | 2�

laboratoryforenergyandtheenvironment • l f e e

OnOctober6–8,2007,theSustainableEnergySystemsFocusAreaoftheMIT-PortugalProgramlauncheditsnewdoctoralprogramwithathree-dayworkshopthathighlightedthechal-lengestothedesignanddeploymentofsustainableenergysystems.OrganizedandledbyDavidH.Marks,theMortonandClaireGoulderFamilyProfessorofCivilandEnvironmentalEngineeringandEngineeringSystems,theworkshopgathered48studentsand23facultyandstafffromMITandfromthefivePortugueseinstitutionsthatarecollaboratinginthejointdoctoralprograminPortugal.Together,theattendeesexaminedresearchneedsintheareaofbuildingdesign,includingmicrogeneration;smartenergysystemsthatcoordinatelocalenergyresourcesanddemandmanage-ment;andintegratedenergyplanningandregulationfromlocal,national,andinternationaldimensions.TheworkshopcelebratedthefirstPhDprogramtobeofferedjointlybythePortugueseinstitutions,withassistancefromMIT.ParticipatingaretheUniver-sityofPorto’sFacultyofEngineering,theTechnicalUniversityofLisbonincludingtheInstitutoSuperiorTécnicoandtheInstitutoSuperiordeEconomiaeGestão,theUniversityofLisbon’sFacultyofScience,andtheUniversityofCoimbra’sFacultyofScienceandTechnology.ThefirstdoctoralworkshopwasheldinthehistoriccityofPorto.AttendeesfromMITincludedMarks;LeonGlicks-man,professorofbuildingtechnologyandmechanicalengineeringanddirectorofMIT’sBuildingTechnologyProgram;StephenConnors,directoroftheAnalysisGroupforRegionalEnergyAlternativesatMIT’sLaboratoryfor

EnergyandtheEnvironment(LFEE);and13MITgraduatestudents.TheSustainableEnergySystemsFocusArea,ledbytheLFEE,ispartoftheMIT-PortugalProgram,afive-yearresearchandeducationalcollaborationsupportedbythePortuguesegovern-mentworkingwithnumerousPortu-gueseresearchuniversities,industry,andgovernment.MarksandConnorshavebeenworkingwithMIT-PortugalProgramheadquarterssincesummer2006todesignandimplementtheSustainableEnergySystemsresearchandeducationprogram.Throughtheresearchprogram,MITteamsarecollaboratingwithPortu-guesecolleaguesonprojectsaddress-ingintegratedenergysystems,economicsandregulation,anddistrib-utedenergysystems.Keytothedesignoftheprogramistherecognitionthatwhileclean-energytechnologyisa“globalbusiness,”thedeploymentandbestuseofcomponenttechnologiesis“situational.”Localenergyresources,theageanddistributionofexistingenergynetworks,andtheenergy-consuming“builtenvironment”areallcrucialfactorswhenlookingathownewenergytechnologiesmightbenefitagivenregion.

CollaborativeresearchprojectsinthefocusareaandtheirMITparticipantsincludethefollowing:

• Interactionsamongbuilding,neigh-borhood,andcitydesignfromenergyandmaterialsflowperspectives(GlicksmanandProfessorsLeslieNorfordandJohnFernandezofarchitecture)

• Smartelectrical/energynetworkstoimproveoverallsystemperfor-mancebyenablingdynamicloadcontrolanddiversemixesofrenew-ablegeneration(ProfessorJamesKirtleyofelectricalengineeringandcomputerscience,ProfessorRichardLarsonofcivilandenviron-mentalengineeringandengineeringsystems,andConnors)

• Marketsforenergyandemissions(Drs.A.DennyEllermanandJohnParsons,CenterforEnergyandEnvironmentalPolicyResearch)

• Waveenergysystems(ProfessorChiangMeiofcivilandenviron-mentalengineeringandProfessorMichaelTriantafyllouofmechanicalengineering)

• Alternativevehiclesandfuels,includingplug-inhybrids(ProfessorJohnHeywoodofmechanicalengineering)

TheMIT-PortugalProgramishousedinMIT’sEngineeringSystemsDivisionandincludestracksintransportation,manufacturing,andbioengineeringinadditiontosustainableenergyandacross-cutting“engineeringsystems”setofactivities.Theprogramisnowenteringitssecondyear,withthefirstyearbeingastartupyear.Forfurtherdetails,goto.

Workshop celebrates new doctoral program in Portugal

davidh.marks,themortonandclairegoulderfamilyprofessorofcivilandenvironmentalengineeringandengineeringsystems.

2� | Energy Futures | MIT Energy Initiative | Winter 2008


InceremoniesheldonDecember10,2007,theEnergy,Environment,andWaterResearchCenter(EEWRC)oftheCyprusInstitute(CyI)celebratedthecommencementofitsoperations.AttendeesincludedthepresidentoftheRepublicofCyprus,TassosPapado-poulos,andmanyotherdignitariesfromCyprusandabroad.MIT’sLaboratoryforEnergyandtheEnvironment(LFEE)featuredpromi-nentlyattheinaugurationceremonies.TheEEWRCisbeingdevelopedinclosecooperationwiththeLFEEanditsCyprusInstituteProgramforEnergy,Environment,andWaterResources(CEEW),whichisdirectedbyProfessorDavidH.Marks,theMortonandClaireGoulderFamilyProfessorofCivilandEnvironmentalEngineeringandEngineeringSystems.Attheceremony,ProfessorErnestJ.Moniz,theCecilandIdaGreenPro-fessorofPhysicsandEngineeringSystemsatMITanddirectoroftheMITEnergyInitiative,wasdecoratedbyPresidentPapadopoulosforhiscontributionstotheestablishmentoftheCyprusInstituteandEEWRCandtothedevelopmentofresearchandeducationintheRepublic.Atthecloseoftheinaugurationday,ProfessorMonizpresentedapubliclectureon“EnergySupplyandClimateChange—CanWeManageBoth?”TheDecember10eventwasasignifi-cantmilestoneinthedevelopmentoftheEEWRC.ItmarkedtheinaugurationoftheCenter’sfirstbuildingaswellasanumberofimportantscientificinitiatives.Ofparticularinterestisthelaunchingofanewclimatechange“MetaStudy.”Thisstudy,whichwillbeledbyagroupofscientistsofinternationalrepute,willaddresstheimpactsofclimatechangeonthe

EasternMediterraneanandNorthAfrica,aregionofgreatpoliticalsignificancethatisexpectedtobedisproportion-atelyaffectedbyclimatechange.TheambitiousprojectcomplieswiththeobjectiveoftheCyprusInstitutetoworkonproblemsofregionalimportanceandglobalsignificance.ThelinkbetweentheCyprusInstituteandMITalsohasotherfacets,includingactivitiesoncampus.AjointdoctoralandpostdoctoralprogrambetweentheCEEWandtheEEWRCisconsideredavitalelementinenhancingthecollaborationbetweenMITandtheCyprusInstitute.Thefirsttwopostdocshavebeenappointedunderthisinitia-tive.Dr.NicholasPolydoridesarrivedatMITinOctoberandisnowworkingwithProfessorDimitriBertsekasofelectricalengineeringandcomputerscienceonenergy-relatedcomputa-tionalproblems,particularlyonissuesrelevanttoundergroundcarbon

Inauguration ceremonies held for energy center at the Cyprus Institute

sequestrationtechniques.Dr.JanAdamowskiwillarriveinJanuaryandwillbecollaboratingwithProfessorElfatihEltahirofcivilandenvironmentalengineering,ProfessorMarks,andProfessorLawrenceSusskindandDr.HermanKarlofurbanstudiesandplanningonproblemsofclimatechangeimpactsforwatermanagementintheMediterraneanBasin.AfterspendingtwoyearsatMIT,bothpostdocswillcontinuetheirresearchattheEEWRCatthedevelopingCyprusInstitute.OtherMITinvolvementswiththeCyprusInstituteincludecollaborationswiththeMITCenterforMaterialsResearchinArchaeologyandEthnologyandtheMITSeaGrantProgram.FormoreinformationontheCyprusInstitute,goto.

• • •

ceremoniesatthecyprusinstituteondecember10celebratednotonlythecommencementofoperationsoftheenergy,environment,andWaterresearchcenterbutalsotheinaugurationofthecenter’snew“guyourisson”Building,shownabove.

With support from the MIT Energy Initiative, a team of MIT students developed software that generated this map showing energy use intensity across campus, building by building, based on data provided by the MIT Department of Facilities. The students are now developing an automated display system that will post real-time energy use data on the web so building occupants can check on their building’s usage. MITEI’s new Student Campus Energy Project Fund is supporting a variety of such innovative student projects aimed at reducing the energy and environmental footprint of the campus (see page 19).

MIT Energy Initiative

Massachusetts Institute of Technology77 Massachusetts Avenue, E40-495Cambridge, MA 02139 -4307

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