Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
M I T E N E R G Y I N I T I AT I V E AUTUMN 2015
IN THIS ISSUE
Energy Futures
Energy Futures is published twice U P D A T E S O N T H E M I T E N E R G Y I N I T I A T I V E
yearly by the MIT Energy Initiative. 2 A letter from the director
It reports on research results and
3 Women leaders in clean energy gather at MIT
energy-related activities across the
Institute. To subscribe, send your
address to stauffer@mit.edu. R E S E A R C H R E P O R T S
4 The Future of Solar Energy: A summary and recommendations for policymakers
Copyright 2015
6 Solar photovoltaic technologies: Silicon and beyond
Massachusetts Institute of
Technology. For permission 11 Discarded car batteries: Recovering material for novel solar cells
to reproduce material 5 Preparing for large-scale solar deployment:
1
in this magazine, please Measures to ensure a reliable future power system
contact the editor. 19 MIT Utility of the Future study and consortium
20 A battery of molten metals: Low-cost, long-lasting storage for the grid
Nancy W. Stauffer, editor
stauffer@mit.edu
617.253.3405 R E S E A R C H N E W S
25 Going off grid: Tata researchers tackle rural electrification
ISSN 1942-4671
(Online ISSN 1942-468X) 29 Cleaning water without the grid
F O C U S O N F A C U L T Y
31 Georgia Perakis: On the road to better energy data
MIT Energy Initiative 33 Sallie Penny Chisholm, Paula Hammond, and Ruben Juanes
The MIT Energy Initiative is designed
to accelerate energy innovation by
integrating the Institutes cutting-edge E D U C A T I O N
capabilities in science, engineering, 34 Undergraduate energy researchers bridge disciplines in summer projects
management, planning, and policy. 36 Energy alumni: Where are they now?
39 Energy Fellows, 20152016
MIT Energy Initiative
Massachusetts Institute of Technology 40 New energy on campus: Arriving undergrads participate in pre-orientation
77 Massachusetts Avenue, E19-307 activities at MITEI
Cambridge, MA 02139-4307 41 Energy Studies Minor graduates, Undergraduate Energy Commons,
and Energy Education Task Force co-chairs
617.258.8891
mitei.mit.edu
C A M P U S E N E R G Y A C T I V I T I E S
42 New forecasting tool to aid MITs energy planning
O U T R E A C H
Main cover image: 3 Fueling solutions: Fuel pillar at MIT Solve sets energy goals for a
4
Joel Jean G (see page 6)
Design: Tim Blackburn
sustainable future
Proofreading: Kathryn M. ONeill
46 A day in the sun: MIT Solar Day looks ahead to decades of innovation
Printing: Artco
Women leaders in
clean energy gather
at MIT
energy technologies featured promi- (page 40), development of an on-campus On November 45, 2015, MITEI and the
nently in the Fuel pillar, which I Undergraduate Energy Commons that US Department of Energy co-hosted the
co-moderated with Angela Belcher, will provide space for students to gather fourth annual Clean Energy Education &
the James Mason Crafts Professor in and work (page 41), and the induction Empowerment (C3E) Women in Clean
materials science and engineering and of 32 graduate students into MITs Energy Symposium. Highlights included
biological engineering. As detailed in Society of Energy Fellows (page 39). panels addressing complex challenges
Fueling Solutions (page 43), panels I would particularly like to congratulate such as the energy/water nexus and
of scientists and policy experts dis- the 2015 Energy Studies Minor gradu- the transition to a low-carbon future;
cussed how to meet rapidly increasing ateslisted on page 41who are now discussions of career advancement;
global energy demands while providing embarking on careers in energy fields and the presentation of awards to eight
food and clean water for the worlds or continuing to earn higher degrees. midcareer women for outstanding
growing population. At a final public achievements in clean energy. C3E
session, Ratan Tata, chairman of the The launch of the MIT Climate Action has issued a call for nominations for
Tata Trusts, and Robert Stoner, director Plan and the development of the new the next awards, to be presented in
of the Tata Center for Technology and Low-Carbon Energy Centers make this May 2016. Learn more at c3eawards.org.
Design and deputy director for science an especially exciting time to be on
Federal PV R&D should focus on of solar output. But they are unlikely to subsidy, is consumed by transaction
efficient, environmentally benign prove sufficient when PV accounts for a costs. Moreover, the subsidy per
thin-film technologies that use large share of total generation. installed watt is higher where solar
Earth-abundant materials. costs are higher (e.g., in the residential
R&D aimed at developing low-cost, sector), and the subsidy per kWh
scalable energy storage technologies is of generation is higher where the solar
The other major solar generation a crucial part of a strategy to achieve resource is less abundant.
technology is concentrated solar power economic PV deployment at large scale.
(CSP) or solar thermal generation. Policies to support solar deployment
Loan guarantees for commercial-scale should reward generation, not invest-
CSP projects have been an important Because distribution network costs ment; should not provide greater
form of federal support for this technol- are typically recovered through subsidies to residential generators than
ogy, even though CSP is less mature per-kilowatt-hour (kWh) charges on to utility-scale generators; and should
than PV. Because of the large risks electricity consumed, owners of distrib- avoid the use of tax credits.
involved in commercial-scale projects, uted PV generation shift some network
this approach does not adequately costs, including the added costs to
encourage experimentation with new accommodate significant PV penetra- State renewable portfolio standard
materials and designs. tion, to other network users. These (RPS) programs provide important
cost shifts subsidize distributed PV but support for solar generation. However,
Federal CSP R&D efforts should raise issues of fairness and could state-to-state differences and siting
focus on new materials and system engender resistance to PV expansion. restrictions lead to less generation per
designs and should establish a dollar of subsidy than a uniform
program to test these in pilot-scale Pricing systems need to be developed national program would produce.
facilities, akin to those common and deployed that allocate distribution
in the chemical industry. network costs to those that cause them State RPS programs should be replaced
and that are widely viewed as fair. by a uniform national program. If this
is not possible, states should remove
Prepare for much greater penetration restrictions on out-of-state siting of
of PV generation Establish efficient subsidies for eligible solar generation.
solar deployment
CSP facilities can store thermal energy
for hours, so they can produce dispatch- Support for current solar technology
able power. But CSP is only suitable for helps create the foundation for major This summary appears in The Future of
regions without frequent clouds or scale-up by building experience with Solar Energy: An Interdisciplinary MIT Study,
haze, and CSP is currently more costly manufacturing and deployment and by by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
than PV. PV will therefore continue for overcoming institutional barriers. But 2015. The study was supported by the
some time to be the main source of federal subsidies are slated to fall Alfred P. Sloan Foundation; the Arunas A.
solar generation in the United States. and Pamela A. Chesonis Family Foundation;
sharply after 2016.
In competitive wholesale electricity Duke Energy; Edison International; the
Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC;
markets, the market value of PV output Drastic cuts in federal support for
and Booz Allen Hamilton. Please go to
falls as PV penetration increases. This solar technology deployment would mitei.mit.edu/futureofsolar to download
means PV costs have to keep declining be unwise. a copy of the complete report and related
for new PV investments to be economic. publications and to watch a video of the
PV output also varies over time, and release of the study on May 5, 2015.
some of that variation is imperfectly On the other hand, while continuing To receive a printed copy of the report,
predictable. Flexible fossil generators, support is warranted, the current email rhowarth@mit.edu.
demand management, CSP, hydro- array of federal, state, and local solar
electric facilities, and pumped storage subsidies is wasteful. Much of the Other Future of reports are available at
can help cope with these characteristics investment tax credit, the main federal mitei.mit.edu/publications/reports-studies.
Gigawatts
to meet worldwide electricity demand is
solar. Silicon solar cells do a good job 4
transforming the suns energy into
electricity today, but will they be up to 3
the task in the future, when vast solar
deployment will be needed to mitigate 2
climate change? And what role might
be played by the many other PV 1
technologies now being developed in
research labs the world over?
0
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Addressing such questions was the
goal of a recent wide-ranging assess- The worlds installed PV capacity exceeds 200 gigawatts (GW), accounting for more than 1% of
ment by Vladimir Bulovic, the Fariborz global electricity generation. The chart above shows annual additions to PV capacity in the
Maseeh (1990) Professor of Emerging United States from 2008 to 2014. Additions to utility, commercial, and residential capacity grew
Technology and MITs associate substantially each year, with the greatest increase occurring in the utility arena. Between 2008
and 2014, total US grid-connected PV capacity grew from about 0.8 GW to 18.3 GW. To put those
dean for innovation; Tonio Buonassisi,
numbers into context, the solar generating capacity added in 2014 is equivalent to the total
associate professor of mechanical capacity of several large power plants.
engineering; Robert Jaffe, the Jane and
Otto Morningstar Professor of Physics; cantly exceeding projections made by inspections, financing, and the like.
and graduate students Joel Jean of experts just five years ago. In 2014, Since 2008, the cost of the module has
electrical engineering and computer solar accounted for fully a third of all dropped by 85%, but the BOS cost
science and Patrick Brown of physics. new US generation capacity; and as hasnt changed much at all. Today, the
shown in the figure on this page, solar module is responsible for just
The solar resource residential, commercial, and (especially) one-fifth of the total cost of a residential
utility-scale PV installations have all installation and one-third of the cost of
The researchers first task was to exam- flourished in recent years. a utility-scale installation in the United
ine their energy resourcesunlight. States. The rest is the cost of the BOS.
To no ones surprise, the assessment About 90% of current solar PV deploy-
confirmed that solar energy is abun- ment is based on crystalline silicon Reducing BOS costs isnt easy with
dantly available and quite evenly solar cellsa technology that has been silicon. Silicon isnt very good at
distributed across the globe. It varies by commercial for decades and is still absorbing sunlight, so a thick, brittle
only about a factor of three across improving. This efficient, reliable layer is needed to do the job; and
densely populated areas, and it isnt technology could achieve the needed keeping it from cracking requires
highly correlated with economic wealth. large-scale deployment without major mounting it on a heavy piece of glass.
In contrast, fossil fuels, uranium, and technological advances, says Bulovic. A silicon PV module is therefore rigid
suitable sites for hydropower are and heavyfeatures that raise the
heavily concentrated, creating potential But its tough to make it cheaper. In the BOS cost. What we need is a cell that
tensions between the haves and solar PV business, costs are divided into performs just as well but is thinner,
have-nots. Solar is a much more two categories: the cost of the solar flexible, lightweight, and easier to
democratic resource, notes Jean. modulethe panel consisting of transport and install, says Bulovic.
multiple solar cells, wiring, glass,
And the world is beginning to take encapsulation materials, and frame Research teams worldwide are now on
advantage of it. More than 1% of total and the balance of system (BOS), the track of making such a PV cell.
global electricity is now provided by which includes hardware such as Theyre starting not with silicona
solar. Within the United States, solar inverters and wiring plus installation structurally simple materialbut rather
deployment is growing at rates signifi- labor, permitting, grid interconnection, with a variety of more complicated
0.5 nm
Crystalline silicon
nanomaterials that can be specially (c-Si)
Wafer
designed to capture solar energy and
convert it into electricity.
Gallium arsenide
(GaAs)
Comparing and contrasting
the technologies
Material complexity
Amorphous silicon
Evaluating the many PV technologies Commercial thin film (a-Si:H)
now in use and under development is
difficult because theyre all so different.
At the most basic level, they employ
different active materials to absorb light Cadmium telluride
and collect electric charge. In general, (CdTe)
they fall into three broad categories.
Wafer-based cells include traditional
Copper indium
crystalline silicon and alternatives
gallium (di)selenide
such as gallium arsenide; commercial (CIGS)
thin-film cells include amorphous CuInxGa1-xSe2
(non-crystalline) silicon, cadmium
telluride, and copper indium gallium
(di)selenide (CIGS); and emerging
Perovskite
thin-film technologies include CH3NH3PbI3
perovskite, organic, and quantum dot
Emerging thin film
100 years
Its based on the complexity of the Ga Te
light-absorbing materiala concept Ga
10 years In Se
defined roughly as the number of atoms
in the molecule or crystal unit that
forms the building block for the material. 1 year Cd
Ag
The building blocks in modern PV As
technologies range in complexity from Si
1 month I
single silicon atoms to increasingly
complicated compounds and nanoma- 1 week
terialsfrom cadmium telluride through Si
perovskites and organics and finally 1 day Pb
to QDs (see the diagram on page 8). S
In the new classification system, all of Cu Pb
the technologies appear on a single 1 hour
scale; they dont move around over 100%
Fraction 50%
time; and one location isnt better than of total C
electricity
another. In addition, says Jean, we find from solar
that theres some correlation between 1 minute
5%
lighting and communication require- equivalent of just six years of current no single technology promises to be
ments of the developing world. Finally, silicon production. Such a scale-up of best on all three measures, and predict-
they could have unusual properties production by 2050 is certainly feasible, ing how each will evolve over time is
that permit novel applications. For so materials constraints are not a major difficult. For example, if emerging
example, some nanomaterials can be issue for silicon. technologies start being used in mobile
engineered to absorb ultraviolet and phone displays or windows or curtains,
infrared light while letting through The same cant be said of todays meeting that demand could help
visible light, so they could be integrated commercial thin-film technologies. manufacturers work through production
into, say, windows, skylights, and Consider cadmium telluride. Tellurium is issues, perhaps enabling lower-cost,
building facades. about a quarter as abundant as gold and larger-scale production in the future.
is produced primarily as a byproduct of
copper refining. Providing the tellurium The researchers also stress the time
Materials availability for cadmium telluride cells to meet required to get a new technology
all of 2050 demand would require the developed and to market. Todays
The prospect of scaling up todays equivalent of 1,400 years at the current emerging technologies are improving
solar generationperhaps by a factor rate of mining. Indium, gallium, and far faster than currently deployed
of 100raises another issue: materials selenium are also produced as byprod- technologies improved in their early
availability. Will the large-scale ucts of major metals, and using CIGS years, says Bulovic. But the road to
deployment of solar power be limited solar cells to fulfill all electricity needs in market and large-scale deployment is
by the availability of critical materials 2050 would require well over 100 years invariably long. In addition, PV deploy-
needed to manufacture solar cells? of current production for all three. That ment may be limited or influenced
How do the different technologies isnt to say these technologies dont by unforeseeable technical, economic,
perform on this measure? have a futurethey could still generate and political factors. Given the urgency
hundreds of gigawatts of power, says of the climate change problem, says
To find out, the researchers determined Brown. But materials constraints make Brown, We need to be deploying and
the materials requirements for each PV it seem unlikely that they will be the improving todays technology and
technology. They then calculated how dominant solar technology. at the same time setting the ground-
much of those materials would be work for emerging technologies that we
needed if that technology were used to In contrast, the emerging thin-film might discover in the lab. Its critical
satisfy 5%, 50%, or 100% of global technologies use abundant primary that we push forward on both fronts.
electricity demand in 2050. (Using the metals that are produced in high
International Energy Agencys estimates volume. For example, meeting 100%
of demand in 2050, those fractions of demand with QD-based solar cells
translate to installed PV capacities of would require the equivalent of only By Nancy W. Stauffer, MITEI
1,250, 12,500, and 25,000 gigawatts [GW] 22 days of global lead production and
of powerall of which dwarf todays six hours of global sulfur production.
installed PV capacity of roughly Perovskites would require at most This research was supported by the
200 GW.) Finally, they checked current three years of current production of MIT Future of Solar Energy study
global production of each material and their constituent elements. (see mitei.mit.edu/futureofsolar).
Further information can be found in:
determined how many additional hours,
days, or years of production at current
J. Jean, P.R. Brown, R.L. Jaffe, T. Buonassisi,
levels would be needed to meet the The bottom line
and V. Bulovic. Pathways for solar
selected deployment targets with the
photovoltaics. Energy & Environmental
various technologies. The researchers conclude that work Science, vol. 8, pp. 12001219, 2015.
should continue on all the technologies,
The figure on page 9 summarizes their with efforts focused on increasing MIT Energy Initiative. The Future of
findings. Meeting 100% of 2050 global conversion efficiency, decreasing Solar Energy: An Interdisciplinary MIT Study.
electricity demand with crystalline materials use, and reducing manufac- Chapter 2: Photovoltaic Technology,
silicon solar cells would require the turing complexity and cost. Right now, pp. 21 45, 2015.
This figure shows how to synthesize lead iodide perovskite from a lead-acid battery. The simple process calls for three main steps: harvesting
material from the anodes and cathodes of the car battery (shown in red); synthesizing lead iodide from the collected materials (blue); and depositing
the perovskite film (green).
Hammond knew that solar cell manufac- The researchers began by evaluating high-purity lead iodide and 10 fabri-
turers would have a question: Is there the light-harvesting capability of cated from car batteries. Because
any penalty for using recycled materials the perovskite thin films made from efficiency measurements in these types
instead of high-quality lead iodide car batteries and from high-purity of devices can vary widely, the figure
purchased from a chemical company? commercial lead iodide. In a variety of presents not only the highest PCE
tests, the films displayed the same achieved but also the average over the
To answer that question, the researchers nanocrystalline structure and identical entire batch of devices. The perfor-
decided to make some solar cells using light-absorption capability. Indeed, the mance of the two types of solar cells is
recycled materials and some using films ability to absorb light at different almost identical. So device quality
commercially available materials and wavelengths was the same. doesnt suffer from the use of materials
then compare the performance of the recovered from spent car batteries,
two versions. They dont claim to be They then tested solar cells they had says Belcher.
experts at making perovskite solar cells fabricated from the two types of
optimized for maximum efficiency. perovskite and found that their photo- Taken together, these results were
But if the cells they made using the two voltaic performance was similar. One extremely promisingbut they were
starting materials performed equally measure of interest is power conversion based on solar cells made from a single
well, then people who are skilled efficiency (PCE), which is the fraction discarded car battery. Might the out-
in fine-tuning these solar cells to get of the incoming solar power that comes come be different using a different
20% efficiencies would be able to use out as electrical power. The figure on battery? For example, they were able to
our material and get the same efficien- page 14 shows PCE measurements recover more than 95% of the usable
cies, reasoned Belcher. in 10 of the solar cells fabricated from lead in their battery. Would that fraction
Highest efficiency
10
In the long term, of course, the best
8 approach would be to find an effective,
nontoxic replacement for the lead.
Belcher and Hammond continue to
6
search for a suitable substitute, perform-
ing theoretical and experimental studies
4 with various types of atoms. At the
same time, they have begun testing the
2 impact of another approach: replacing
a portion of the lead with another
0 material that may not perform as well
High-purity Material but is more environmentally friendly.
commercial recycled from Already theyve had promising results,
material car battery
achieving some pretty decent efficien-
cies, says Belcher. The combination
This figure shows power conversion efficiencythe fraction of incoming solar power converted of their two approachesusing
to electricityin solar cells that the researchers fabricated using starting materials purchased
recycled lead and reducing the amount
from a vendor (left) and recovered from a spent lead-acid car battery. In each case, the gray
bar shows the average efficiency of 10 devices, while the blue bar shows the highest efficiency requiredcould ease near-term
achieved in a single device. Performance in the two groups of devices is essentially the same, environmental and health concerns
confirming that using recycled material does not compromise device quality. while Belcher, Hammond, and others
develop the best possible chemistry
be lower in an older battery? And might cellsand indeed to make other types of for this novel solar technology.
the quality or purity of the recovered lead-containing solar cells, light-emitting
lead differ? diodes, piezoelectric devices, and more.
solar deployment
devices that can smooth out delivery
of PV-generated electricity.
demand, and the network needs to be who dont own solar PV panels on A typical bulk power system includes a
ready to handle all the electricity flowing their rooftops have to pay what the variety of power plants with differing
from those devices on the occasional PV owners dont pay, explains costs and characteristics. Conventional
sunny day. Prez-Arriaga. In effect, the PV owners coal and nuclear plants are inexpensive
are receiving a subsidy thats paid to run (though expensive to build),
One way to reduce the burden on by the non-PV owners. but they dont switch on and off easily
distribution networks is to add local or turn up and down quickly. Plants
energy storage capability. Depending on Unless the design of network charges fired by natural gas are more expensive
the scenario and the storage capacity, is modified, the current controversy to run (and less expensive to build), but
at 30% PV penetration, storage can over electricity bills will intensify as theyre also more flexible. In general,
reduce added costs by a third in Europe residential solar penetration increases. demand is met by dispatching the least
and cut them in half in the United Therefore, Prez-Arriaga and his expensive plants first and then turning
States. That doesnt mean that deploy- colleagues are developing proposals for to more expensive and flexible plants
ment of storage is economically viable completely overhauling the way in as needed.
now, says Prez-Arriaga. Current which the network tariffs are designed
storage technology is expensive, but so that network costs are allocated to For one series of simulations, the
one of the services with economic value the entities that cause them, he says. researchers focused on a power system
that it can provide is to bring down the similar to the one that services much
cost of deploying solar PV. of Texas. Results presented on page
Impacts on bulk power systems 18 (top) show how PV generation affects
Another concern stems from methods demand on that system over the course
used to calculate consumer bills In other work, the researchers focused of a summer day. In each diagram,
methods that some distribution on the impact of PV penetration on yellow areas are demand met by PV
companies and customers deem unfair. larger-scale electric systems. Using the generation, and brown areas are net
Most US states employ a practice Low Emissions Electricity Market demand, that is, remaining demand
called net metering. Each PV owner is Analysis modelanother tool developed that must be met by other power
equipped with an electric meter that at IIT-Comillasthey examined how plants. Left to right, the diagrams show
turns one way when the household is operations on bulk power systems, the increasing PV penetration. Initially, PV
pulling electricity in from the network future generation mix, and prices on generation simply reduces net demand
and the other when its sending excess wholesale electricity markets might during the middle of the day. But when
electricity out. Reading the meter each evolve as the PV energy share grows. the PV energy share reaches 58%,
month therefore gives net consumption the solar generation pushes down net
or (possibly) net production, and the Unlike deploying a conventional power demand dramatically, such that when
owner is billed or paid accordingly. plant, installing a solar PV system the sun goes down, other generators
requires no time-consuming approval must go from low to high production in
Most electricity bills consist of a small and construction processes. If the a short period of time. Since low-cost
fixed component and a variable compo- regulator gives some attractive incentive coal and nuclear plants cant ramp up
nent that is proportional to the energy to solar, you can just remove the quickly, more expensive gas-fired plants
consumed during the time period potatoes in your potato field and put must cut in to do the job.
considered. Net metering can have the in solar panels, says Prez-Arriaga.
effect of reducing, canceling, or even As a result, significant solar generation That change has a major impact on
turning the variable component into a can appear on a bulk power system prices on the wholesale electricity
negative value. As a result, users with within a few months. With no time to market. Each owner who sends a unit of
PV panels avoid paying most of the adjust, system operators must carry electricity into the bulk power system at
network costseven though they on using existing equipment and a given time gets paid the same amount:
are using the network and (as explained methods of deploying it to meet the the cost of producing a unit of electricity
above) may actually be pushing needs of customers. at the last plant that was turned on, thus
up network costs. The cost of the the most expensive one. So when PVs
network has to be recovered, so people come online, expensive gas-fired plants
PV penetration
(% of peak demand)
PV 12% PV 24% PV 36% PV 58%
80 80 80 80
70 70 70 70
60 60 60 60 Under current conditions, as more PV
Gigawatts
50 50 50 50
40 40 40 40
systems come online, reimbursements
30 30 30 30 to solar owners will shrink to the point
20 24 h 20 20 20
that investing in solar is no longer
10 10 10 10
0 0 0 0 profitable at market prices. So people
1 5 9 13 17 21 25 29 1 5 9 13 17 21 25 29 1 5 9 13 17 21 25 29 1 5 9 13 17 21 25 29
may think that if solar power becomes
Solar PV Hours very inexpensive, then everything
Net demand will become solar, says Prez-Arriaga.
These diagrams show how PV generation affects the demand that must be met by other generating But we find that that wont happen.
units on a summer day on a Texas-like power system. Yellow areas are demand met by PV Theres a natural limit to solar penetra-
generation; brown areas are net demand that must be met by other power plants. When tion after which investment in more
PV penetration is low,PV
net6GW
demand is simply reduced during the
PV 18GW PVmiddle
36GW of the day. No
ButPV
as the solar will not be economically viable.
PV energy share grows, net demand is far lower during the sunny part of the day and then must
Security-constrained curtailment Economic curtailment
ramp up quickly when the sun goes downa rapid change that can be handled only by expensive
0
gas-fired power 6
plants. Interestingly, 12 18 grows, the
as PV penetration 24peak in net30
demand shifts36 However,
42 if goals and incentives are set
in time but never decreases appreciably. As a result, meeting the net-demand peak will require for certain levels of solar penetration
the same installed non-PV generating capacity in each case, but that capacity will be used decades ahead, then PV investment will
less as PV generation increases. continue, and the bulk power system
will have time to adjust. In the absence
of energy storage, the power plants
Impact of solar PV penetration on prices paid to generators accompanying solar will for the most
Energy Conversion part be gas-fired units that can follow
rapid changes in demand. Conventional
60
Average market price coal and nuclear plants will play a
55
Average solar owner price diminishing roleunless new, more
1930
1934
1938
1942
1946
1950
1954
1958
1962
1966
1970
1974
1978
1982
1986
1990
1994
1998
2002
2006
50
flexible versions of those technologies
45 are designed and deployed (along with
$/ MWh
1930
1934
1938
1942
1946
1950
1954
1958
1962
1966
1970
1974
1978
1982
1986
1990
1994
1998
2002
2006
1930
1934
1938
1942
1946
1950
1954
1958
1962
1966
1970
1974
1978
1982
1986
1990
1994
1998
2002
2006
a key enabler for the successful deploy- Chapter 7: Integration of Distributed by a consortium of 20 international
ment of solar PV power at a scale Photovoltaic Generators, and Chapter 8: companies and organizations. Current
needed to address climate change in Integration of Solar Generation in consortium members include leading
the coming decades. Wholesale Electricity Markets. 2015. electric utilities, oil and gas companies,
an independent system operator, and
I. Prez-Arriaga and A. Bharatkuman.
equipment and solution providers to
A Framework for Redesigning Distribution
the power industry.
Network Use-of-System Charges Under High
By Nancy W. Stauffer, MITEI
Penetration of Distributed Energy Resources:
New Principles for New Problems. MIT Center For more information about the
for Energy and Environmental Policy Working study and ways to join the consortium,
Paper no. WP 2014-006, October 2014. please go to mitei.mit.edu/research/
utility-future-study.
The ability to store large amounts of inexpensive process conducted inside discharges, the top layer of molten
electricity and deliver it later when its electrochemical cells that operate metal gets thinner and the bottom
needed will be critical if intermittent reliably over long periods and produce one gets thicker. When it charges, the
renewable energy sources such as solar metal at very low cost while consuming thicknesses reverse. There are no
and wind are to be deployed at scales large amounts of electrical energy. stresses involved, notes Sadoway.
that help curtail climate change in the Sadoway thought: Could we run The entire system is very pliable and
coming decades. Such large-scale the smelter in reverse so it gives back just takes the shape of the container.
storage would also make todays power its electricity? While solid electrodes are prone to
grid more resilient and efficient, cracking and other forms of mechanical
allowing operators to deliver quick Subsequent investigation led to the failure over time, liquid electrodes do
supplies during outages and to meet liquid metal battery. Like a conventional not degrade with use.
temporary demand peaks without battery, this one has top and bottom
maintaining extra generating capacity electrodes with an electrolyte between Indeed, every time the battery is
thats expensive and rarely used. them (see the diagram on page 22). charged, ions from the top metal that
During discharging and recharging, have been deposited into the bottom
A decade ago, the committee planning positively charged metallic ions travel layer are returned to the top layer,
the new MIT Energy Initiative from one electrode to the other through purifying the electrolyte in the process.
approached Donald Sadoway, MITs the electrolyte, and electrons make the All three components are reconstituted.
John F. Elliott Professor of Materials same trip through an external circuit. In In addition, because the components
Chemistry, to take on the challenge of most batteries, the electrodesand naturally self-segregate, theres no need
grid-scale energy storage. At the time, sometimes the electrolyteare solid. for membranes or separators, which are
MIT research focused on the lithium-ion But in Sadoways battery, all three are subject to wear. The liquid battery
batterythen a relatively new tech liquid. The negative electrodethe top should perform many charges and
nology. The lithium-ion batteries being layer in the batteryis a low-density discharges without losing capacity or
developed were small, lightweight, liquid metal that readily donates requiring maintenance or service.
and short-livednot a problem for electrons. The positive electrodethe And the self-segregating nature of the
mobile devices, which are typically bottom layeris a high-density liquid liquid components could facilitate
upgraded every few years, but an issue metal thats happy to accept those simpler, less-expensive manufacturing
for grid use. electrons. And the electrolytethe compared to conventional batteries.
middle layeris a molten salt that
A battery for the power grid had to be transfers charged particles but wont
able to operate reliably for years. It mix with the materials above or below. Choice of materials
could be large and stationary, but Because of the differences in density
most importantit had to be inexpen- and the immiscibility of the three For Sadoway and then-graduate student
sive. The classic academic approach materials, they naturally settle into David Bradwell MEng 06, PhD 11,
of inventing the coolest chemistry three distinct layers and remain sepa- the challenge was to choose the best
and then trying to reduce costs in the rate as the battery operates. materials for the new battery, particu-
manufacturing stage wouldnt work, larly for its electrodes. Methods exist
says Sadoway. In the energy sector, for predicting how solid metals will
youre competing against hydrocar- Benefits of going liquid behave under defined conditions.
bons, and theyre deeply entrenched But those methods were of no value
and heavily subsidized and tenacious. This novel approach provides a number to us because we wanted to model
Making a dramatic shift in power of benefits. Because the components the liquid state, says Sadowayand
production would require a different are liquid, the transfer of electrical nobody else was working in this
way of thinking about storage. charges and chemical constituents area. So he had to draw on what he
within each component and from one calls informed intuition, based on
Sadoway therefore turned to a process to another is ultrafast, permitting the his experience working in electrometal-
he knew well: aluminum smelting. rapid flow of large currents into and lurgy and teaching a large freshman
Aluminum smelting is a huge-scale, out of the battery. When the battery chemistry class.
plus the electrolyte salt to a steel without power for about 15 minutes, This research was supported by the US
container and heat the can to the which is probably enough time for Department of Energys Advanced Research
specified operating temperature. The some major damage to be done. Projects AgencyEnergy (ARPAE) and
materials melt into neat liquid layers to The new battery could play a key role by the French energy company Total,
form the electrodes and electrolyte. in preventing such an outcome. a Sustaining Member of the MIT Energy
The cell manufacturing process has Initiative. Early supporters were the
Deshpande Center, the Chesonis Family
been developed and implemented and Meanwhile, back at the lab, the MIT
Foundation, Total, and ARPA-E. Further
will undergo continuous improvement. researchers are continuing to explore
information can be found in:
The next step will involve automating other chemistries for the core of the
the processes to aggregate many cells liquid battery. Indeed, Sadoway says
D.J. Bradwell, H. Kim, A.H.C. Sirk, and
into a large-format battery including that his team has already developed D.R. Sadoway. Magnesium-antimony liquid
the power electronics. an alternative design that offers even metal battery for stationary energy storage.
lower operating temperatures, more Journal of the American Chemical Society,
Ambri has not been public about which stored energy, lower cost, and a longer vol. 134, pp. 18951897, 2012.
liquid metal battery chemistry it is lifetime. Given the general lack of
commercializing, but it does say that it knowledge about the properties H. Kim, D.A. Boysen, J.M. Newhouse,
has been working on the same chemis- and potential uses of liquid metals, B.L. Spatocco, B. Chung, P.J. Burke,
try for the past four years. According to Sadoway believes there could still be D.J. Bradwell, K. Jiang, A.A. Tomaszowska,
Bradwell, Ambri scientists and engi- major discoveries in the field. The K. Wang, W. Wei, L.A. Ortiz, S.A. Barriga,
neers have built more than 2,500 liquid results of their experiments kicked S.M. Poizeau, and D.R. Sadoway. Liquid metal
metal battery cells and have achieved open the doors to a whole bunch batteries: Past, present, and future. Chemical
Reviews, vol. 113, pp. 20752099, 2013.
thousands of charge-discharge cycles of other choices that weve made,
with negligible reduction in the amount says Sadoway. It was really cool.
X. Ning, S. Phadke, B. Chung, H. Yin,
of energy stored. Those demonstrations
P. Burke, and D.R. Sadoway. Self-healing
confirm Sadoway and Bradwells initial Li-Bi liquid metal battery for grid-scale
thesis that an all-liquid battery would be energy storage. Journal of Power Sources,
poised to achieve better performance By Nancy W. Stauffer, MITEI vol. 275, pp. 370376, 2015.
than solid-state alternatives and would
be able to operate for decades. B.L. Spatocco, T. Ouchi, G. Lambotte, P.J. Burke,
and D.R. Sadoway. Low-temperature
Ambri researchers are now tackling one molten salt electrolytes for membrane-free
final engineering challenge: developing sodium metal batteries. Journal of the
a low-cost, practical seal that will stop Electrochemical Society, vol. 162, no. 14,
air from leaking into each individual cell, pp. A2729A2736, 2015.
thus enabling years of high-temperature
operation. Once the needed seals are
K. Wang, K. Jiang, B. Chung, T. Ouchi,
P.J. Burke, D.A. Boysen, D.J. Bradwell,
developed and tested, battery produc-
H. Kim, U. Muecke, and D.R. Sadoway.
tion will begin. The researchers plan
Lithium-antimony-lead liquid metal battery
to deliver prototypes for field testing in
for grid-level energy storage. Nature,
several locations, including Hawaii, vol. 514, pp. 348355, 16 October 2014.
where sunshine is abundant but power
generation still relies on burning
expensive diesel fuel. One site is the
Pearl Harbor naval base on Oahu.
Its unsettling that our military bases
rely on the civilian power grid, says
Sadoway. If that grid goes down, the
base must power up diesel generators
to fill the gap. So the base can be
uLink
This GridForm model of a village in Bihar, India, shows the optimal layout of hardware for the load A third Tata Center project focuses on
profiles of the community. Each building, color-coded by the cost (in Indian rupees) of supplying fostering the organic growth of
electricity to that structure, is wired to a central generation/storage node (solid lines), and the microgrids by enabling residents to
nodes are connected to each other (dotted lines). share extra power-generating capacity
with their neighbors via an inexpensive
Sample microgrid with peer-to-peer electricity sharing piece of hardware, the uLink power
using uLink management unit (PMU).
Generating unit
Consuming unit
A demand response system that
meters and controls the flow of electric-
PMU ity, uLink can adjust the demands it
PMU
Generator serves based on the supply of electricity
module
Power thats available. The system reflects an
Consumer Consumer
module module innovative approach to electrification,
Payments
Ram saysone that acknowledges
Communication to the
GSM network that the standards for electrification
Generating unit common in the developed world are
unrealistically high for poor, remote
Power and
communication
areas. Building in the system redundan-
PMU
Generator cies necessary to ensure 99.9% avail-
module ability is simply too expensiveand
Consumer particularly unrealistic in India, where
module
Payments even the areas served by the grid are
uLinks power management units (PMUs) are shown connecting generating sources, batteries, and plagued by power outages.
loads to form an ad hoc microgrid. Sophisticated computing power within the units enables power
and information to be transferred automatically throughout the microgrid, which could one day Here we can guarantee a basic level of
employ the mobile phone system (aka the GSM network) for payments and system monitoring. service, but we dont guarantee 99.9%,
Ram says. This is a very powerful way uLink was field-tested in June 2015 This research was supported by the MIT
to manage the cost of electricity five houses were wired together for Tata Center for Technology and Design.
infrastructure. Demand response allows two weeksand the delivery, metering, Work on GridForm also received support
you to size the system for average and networking systems worked well. from the MIT IDEAS Global Challenge.
demand, versus peak demand. The next milestone for the developers Publications to date include the following:
is to test the algorithm designed to
W. Inam, D. Strawser, K.K. Afridi, R.J. Ram,
What that means is that when the sun is estimate how much electricity is
and D.J. Perreault. Architecture and System
shining and batteries are fully charged, available from the systems batteries
Analysis of Microgrids with Peer-to-Peer
microgrid customers can run all of their and solar panels and optimally shed
Electricity Sharing to Create a Marketplace
appliances, but when its been cloudy loads. This is definitely a work in
which Enables Energy Access. 9th Interna-
for a few days and the system is low on progress, Ram says. tional Conference on Power Electronics
power, uLink can signal users to shut off (ICPE 2015ECCE Asia), June 2015.
loads; as a last resort, it can even shut Indeed, all three Tata Center projects
off loads automatically. Automating this are still being refined, but together K.R. Varshney, G.H. Chen, B. Abelson,
function eases the social difficulty of they offer a rich portfolio of potential K. Nowocin, V. Sakhrani, L. Xu, and
sharing electricity, the researchers say. solutions to the problem of rural B.L. Spatocco. Targeting villages for rural
Once users have pooled their resources, electrification, the effects of which many development using satellite image analysis.
theres no need to argue over who can of the researchers have seen firsthand. Big Data, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 113, 2015.
use which appliances; uLink allots
electricity based on which loads have Electricity is not just empowering. Its
been predetermined as critical and an enabling force. Electricity goes right
therefore not subject to shutoff when into livelihood activities, Spatocco
system demand peaks. Everything else says, noting that just a few lights make
can be shut off by uLink as needs arise. it possible for residents to work in the
evenings, for example, or to improve
Users themselves determine which their efficiency with simple machinery,
few loads are critical, providing an such as sewing machines. People can
element of choice not typically seen in double or triple their economic output.
home solar systems, which hardwire
their loads. uLink features several out- There are also benefits few in the
lets, enabling users to plug in a variety West might imagine, as Ram discovered
of appliances. At maximum capacity, by interviewing residents of one
the initial prototype low-voltage, DC non-electrified Indian village: They
system provides about 25 watts per conveyed how frightening it can be
household, enough to run a fan, a to have a snake in the village if no one
cellphone charger, and a couple of lights. has a light.
The detective work began when Jain Total dissolved salts (mg/L)
Irrigation pointed out that small-scale < 480
farmers in India who use Jains irriga-
480960
tion systems often lack access to safe
9601920
drinking water. Winter, Wright, and
others on the Tata Center team spent >1920
They expected the villagers primary The announcement of the USAID Desal accelerated the typical development
concern to be contamination of water Prize competition hit shortly after the timeline for a project like this. Winning
by bacteria. But in their meetings, the team published a paper on the impor- the prize has connected him and
team identified another, generally tance of desalination to clean drinking Wright with other major players in the
overlooked contaminant in Indias water: water. Background research already clean water space, and international
salt. What can happen frequently, in hand, the team connected a trailer expertise provided by USAID has put
Winter says, is that people who containing their prototype system to a more potential locations for the new
only have access to a salty drinking Tata Centersupplied truck and drove it desalination system on the teams
source wont want to drink [the water] to the competition in New Mexico. And radar. One of them is Gaza. Its pretty
because it tastes bad. Instead, theyll in a pool that had close to 70 applicants, exciting, Winter says, because the
go drink from a surface source like a they won. In fact, they were the only needs and requirements for off-grid
pond or a river that can have biological entry to meet all of USAIDs specifica- desalination [in the Middle East] are
contaminants in it. By removing tions for flow rate and salinity. very similar to those in India.
salt from water sources, the team could
more than double the groundwater The win was game-changing. According First, though, the team has to work out
available to villagers for drinking. to Winter, the Desal Prize has seriously a few kinks in the technology. Winter
identifies two major pain points: Tata Projects is also looking into the solutions, Winter says. We dont
the overall materials cost of the system possibility of using the technology in just say, OK, were going to make a
and the energy needed to pump water specific subsets of urban environments, technology [in our lab] and then see
through it. The only real necessary such as apartment complexes. There if we can commercialize it. We try
power for running the system is the are a number of market opportunities to understand from the start the
power required by the electrodialysis for this technology beyond just small- user-centered, real-life requirements
technology to separate the ions of scale villages, Winter says. for a technology so we can design to
salt from the rest of the water, Winter meet them. Not elementary at all, but
says. Cutting down other energy The work, of course, is far from done. certainly the work of good detectives.
consumption would both conserve The research that were doing now,
power and bring down cost. and that the Tata Center in general
does, involves tackling problems in
One way to cut cost could be to wean emerging markets that require high- By Francesca McCaffrey, MITEI
the system off battery usage. In fall performance but relatively low-cost
2015, the team began researching
whether their system could run effec-
tively on solar energy without using
batteries as a buffer to store energy
when the sun is down. The research
involves conducting pilot tests in which
farmers come to one of Jain Irrigations
test farms in India and use the system
in real time. Their experience will
shed light on whether demand for water
throughout the day aligns with the
availability of solar energy.
Georgia Perakis:
On the road to better energy data
Georgia Perakis, MITs William F. Pounds
From there, Perakis interests have Not all of Perakis energy-related I am very close with my PhD students,
broadened, though they remain research falls into the public policy Perakis says, and that closeness is
connected by the common threads of arena. A good deal of her time is spent evidenced by a collection of individual
operations research and optimization. working with companies in the energy student photos, arranged in a frame
Since her days studying traffic, she has industry. Often this involves tackling a shaped like a tree, that rests on the wall
branched out into subsidies for green specific operations challenge, such as above her desk. She explains: That was
energy technologies. Her original predicting when and which pipes will one of their birthday presents to me.
work on the topic (reported in Energy corrode or forecasting where damage
Futures, Autumn 2013) focused on will occur from a superstorm and where This recognition of her obvious popular-
incentives for green technology emergency restoration crews should ity with her students is accompanied
adoptionin her words, what kind be placed before the storm in order by a sizable dash of humility. When
of subsidies the government should to restore outages quickly. Apart from asked what the most challenging part
give to consumers. Her latest work energy research, Perakis also does of being a professor is, she laughs.
deepens that research by focusing research in the retail industry, for Everything.
on two topics related to subsidies that example, using data to design models
she did not examine in her first pass. that can help retailers run promotions Shes also well aware of the challenges
more efficiently. The common denomi- her students face. One topic in particular
In the first [project], we ignored the nator in all her research is the availability stands out: women in academia. I think
fact that industry competes and [that] and use of data to build models that will that people have at least tried to make
there are nowadays many electric yield better decisions. Perakis cannot an effort not to have any bias about
vehicle companies in the market, which stress enough the importance of infor- men and women [in the workforce].
compete for the same customers, mation gathering for leaders in the But there are still mental blocks that
Perakis says. This competition energy industry: You need good data to exist in peoples subconscious.
has changed the name of the game. be able to say something meaningful.
However, she rarely discusses this
The other element Perakis and her She says that the utilities she has issue with her female students. If you
fellow researchers have sought to worked with are quickly learning this just have a conversation its not as
quantify is a positive externality of the truth. I can see now that theyre effective, she says. The way you act
subsidies. When consumers adopt catching on to the fact that analytics is and the way you interact with them as
green technology, they reduce carbon important, she says. They see that a female in the fieldthats how you
emissions. So, effectively, that reduc- they still need to streamline their data, inspire them.
tion should be put into the model as and without good data, you cannot
well, Perakis says. She is referring to build good analytics models. But they
one of the nuances of economics: now understand the importance of
externalities, both positive and nega- analytics. I can see it. By Francesca McCaffrey, MITEI
tive. Encouragement from the govern-
ment to adopt green technology by Perakis displays a warm camaraderie
using subsidies incentivizes consumers with her fellow researchers in both
to come on board, which reduces industry and academia. Only one set
emissionsa positive externality. of relationships seems to rival it:
Perakis is tackling this phenomenon those she cultivates with her students.
with mathematics. The result is an She teaches graduate studentsMBAs,
insightful model that sheds more light masters, and PhDsand she deems
on how government and industry them smart, extremely smart.
should tackle tough policy questions She keeps in touch with many of them
related to green technology subsidies post-graduation, and she can rattle
in the future. off the number of PhD students
she has graduated to date without
hesitation: 17.
Watching interesting partnerships UROPs have been a mainstay of aca- on the market, which are used in
arise between engineering students and demic life at MIT since 1969. The vast products such as fans.
architecture faculty, for instance, or majority of undergraduates seek out at
mathematics majors and materials least one opportunity during their four Owusu-Akyaw has been developing
scientists, is really exciting for us, says years at MIT to engage in significant this device through sequential UROPs
Amanda Graham, who was director of research with a faculty member, earning with James L. Kirtley Jr., professor
education for MITEI until autumn 2015. credit or pay for work that might last a of electrical engineering and computer
It gets at the heart of our educational semester or even a number of years. science. It was Kirtleys freshman
mission, which is building bridges seminar on energy generation and
and capabilities that bring disciplinary At MITEI, which has offered energy motor design that initially sparked
skills together. UROPs since 2007, the emphasis is on Owusu-Akyaws interest: I wondered
summer, when students can perform about ways to increase power in
Cali Gallardo 17 (Mathematics) found the research full time and get a heck motors, and I asked to get into his lab,
a project developing lighter-weight of a lot more done, says Graham. says Owusu-Akyaw. I wanted to get
soundproofing material to improve fuel Private donors, Founding and Sustaining into product design eventually, and the
efficiency in cars and aircraft with MITEI Members, and MITEI Affiliates things you can do as a mechanical
Nicholas Xuanlai Fang, associate typically sponsor these projects, and engineer are limited if you dont know
professor of mechanical engineering. MITEI cultivates contact between the electrical side.
We liked Calis theoretical training as sponsors and students.
a math major, especially for designing Given the demands of summer research
and modeling acoustic composites, Akwasi Owusu-Akyaw 17 (Mechanical work, MITEI offers one-on-one mentor-
says Fang. But our lab also provides Engineering) found the prospect of ing and other forms of assistance. Many
her with the opportunity to do hands-on discussing his work with sponsor of the students are just 18 or 19 years
work, so shes not just solving equa- Lockheed Martin both intimidating and old and are holding their first jobs, and
tions. Says Gallardo, The UROP exciting. His summer research they may need encouragement and a
seemed like a good opportunity to involved testing a design of a small, safety net, says Ann Greaney-Williams,
explore a different field while doing a two-phase induction motor intended MITEIs academic coordinator. And,
wide range of tasks, from building to be as powerful but more energy- adds Graham, while it may be ideal for
to computer-aided design. efficient than comparable motors now undergraduates to work outside their
What made you switch from biomedi- What would you tell MIT students
Photo: Justin Knight
The two sound unrelated to each other, For me and a lot of people, the first
but actually a lot is shared between impression of the energy sector is that
medical imaging and geophysics. While its an old-fashioned industry. Its crude
doing my masters for sonic imaging, I and brutal and makes lots of money
realized that the medical world bases its with a few guys drilling some holes in
imaging on a simple human body the ground. But through understanding
modelthat everybody looks the same. the industryespecially all the tech
In the geophysics world, because the nology that has been developed and
subsurface of the earth is so compli- deployedyou realize you are solving
cated, you never assume any one place business problems that make billions of
is similar to another. Its a higher level dollars and are relevant to researchers
of developmental technology. I soon in the industry. If you think you want
realized the technology relevant to to be a research scientist, especially
medical imaging that is applied in the coming out of MIT, this is a place you
Di Yang PhD 14 energy sector is more advanced and can burn your brain cells on some
complicated, and I gradually got interesting problems and get well paid.
Working for a major oil and gas com- interested in the broader picture of And the personal growth space is huge.
pany was never part of the plan for energy, too.
Di Yang. While pursuing his masters at
Nanjing University, Yang was an
electronic engineering and biomedical How did MIT prepare you for your work
student. But that all changed when he at ExxonMobil?
was admitted to MIT. With funding in
his first year as an Eni-MIT Fellow, Yang We work here as we worked at MIT.
was able to study whatever he desired. Other people might feel the pressure of
To fulfill his appetite for a challenge, he cracking problems nobody has cracked
decided to tackle exploration geophys- before by the deadline. But any MIT
ics and joined a research project being graduate would feel comfortable
supported by MIT Energy Initiative working here because weve been
(MITEI) seed funds. He also sat as the working to solve problems by deadlines
oil and gas subcommittee chair in every day for over five years. Its just
MITs Energy Club, where he planned normal to us.
trips to oil companies to give members
exposure to the industry. It was while I was also a member of the Energy Club
presenting research he did for the starting in my first year. This experience
Los Alamos National Laboratory that definitely gave me a better understand-
ExxonMobil saw potential in Yangs ing of how the energy business works
work and decided to hire him. Hes now and how engineers and geoscientists
in his second year with ExxonMobil. connect in the field. Even now the two
are not fluidly connected in all their
actions because their disciplines are so
different, but they have to communicate
to make the business run smoothly.
What skills did MIT help you develop is not one simple solution. Well, this
Photo courtesy of USAID
that you find most useful in your work? worked here; therefore it is going to
work there is rarely a true statement.
I think the biggest thing I learned from
MIT, and from engineering systems in Ive been working almost exclusively
particular, was taking the systems-level on energy in the developing world, and
approachnot really focusing in on there are lots of problems: bureaucracy,
specifically one project or one country corruption, trying to get investment in
but really thinking more from a macro the market, in some cases low afford-
level. Especially in my work with ability if you are looking at trying to
the World Bank and Power Africa, Ive reach people who are in remote areas.
needed to be able to look across the I have really tried to figure out how you
power sector and think about how can take lessons learned from other
the system operates as a whole. places and apply them in new markets.
I think any time you are trying to solve
a really hard problem youre going
What made you want to work in to run into some challenges. But I think
Katherine Steel PhD 08 developing nations? all of that can be overcomeits just
not easy.
After earning her undergraduate Ive always been interested in working
degree in mechanical engineering from in other countries but got specifically
Stanford University, Katherine Steel interested in energy and Africa
arrived at MIT to pursue a PhD in after college. I was finishing up my
engineering systems. Following gradua- undergraduate degree in mechanical
tion, the first step in her international engineering when I decided that
career was to work for the World Bank. I wanted to spend a year traveling
There, Steel focused on energy projects and working overseas. So I moved to
in South Asia and Africa. After four Kenya and worked as a teacher in
years with the World Bank, she moved Nairobi. I happened to be there at the
on to work with a team at Google that time of an extended power crisis
focused on providing Internet and due to drought conditions limiting the
energy access worldwide. In 2014 she electricity from hydropower dams.
made the switch back to the public The power rationing we experienced
sector, joining the United States Agency got me very interested in issues of
for International Development (USAID) energy access and energy systems in
as a senior advisor at Power Africa, the developing world.
where she now works to increase
private sector investment in power
projects in sub-Saharan Africa. What have you learned about
country-specific solutions from your
work abroad?
How did your time in graduate school What is the focus of your National
Photo: Amanda Brewster
Bosch
Danhao Ma
Materials Science and Engineering
ExxonMobil Shell
BP Dayong Chen, PhD Jayadev Acharya, PhD
Tochukwu Akobi Chemical Engineering Computer Science and Artificial
Engineering Systems Hongge Chen Intelligence Lab
Alan Long Electrical Engineering and Scott Burger
Chemical Engineering Computer Science Engineering Systems
Henri-Louis Girard Danielle Gruen
Chevron Mechanical Engineering Earth, Atmospheric, and
Jing Zhang Guillaume Giudicelli Planetary Sciences
Biology Nuclear Science and Engineering Chiao-Ting Li, PhD
Brent Keller Joint Program on the Science
Eni Materials Science and Engineering and Policy of Global Change
Marie-Julie Dalbe, PhD McLain Leonard Ted Moallem, PhD
Civil and Environmental Engineering Chemical Engineering Office of Digital Learning
Francesca Freyria, PhD Sina Moeini Kai Pan
Chemistry Civil and Environmental Engineering Civil and Environmental Engineering
Connie Gao Samuel Shaner Nora Xu
Chemical Engineering Nuclear Science and Engineering Engineering Systems
Joel Jean David Strubbe, PhD
Electrical Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering Statoil
Computer Science Brandon Talamini, PhD Michael Birk
Alexander Kohn Mechanical Engineering Engineering Systems
Chemistry Max Luke
Byungjin Koo Schlumberger Engineering Systems
Materials Science and Engineering Elizabeth Strong
Jolene Mork Mechanical Engineering Total
Chemistry Rupak Chakraborty
Mechanical Engineering
Above photo, left to right: Veronica LaBelle, Benjamin Gray, and Wenyu Ma make their own solar
cells during an FPOP activity led by Annie Wang, research scientist in the Research Laboratory
of Electronics (not pictured).
Photo at left: During a tour of Bostons MassDOT tunnels, Kevin Arrigal, manager of station
support for MassDOT (in white hard hat), accompanies FPOP students on an elevator ride down
into a ventilation building beneath the citys highway system.
Kaitlin Ahlers
ate energy community. Hager and Ram have long been strong
proponents of MITs energy education
The renovation and furnishing of this and the Energy Studies Minor, and their
unique space is supported by a gener- new leadership roles will enhance their
ous donation from the S.D. Bechtel, Jr. ability to support MITs education of
Foundation, which shares in MITEIs students equipped to address the worlds
vision and goal to enhance opportunities crucial energy challenges as well as the
for multidisciplinary, problem-focused linked problems of reducing global
energy education at MIT. poverty and preserving the environment.
Among the Energy Studies Minor graduates
in 2015 were (left to right, front row)
Sterling Watson, Sarah Mayner,
Priyanka Chatterjee, and Delphine Kaiser; and
(back row) Cecilio Aponte, James Slonaker,
Dimitrios Pagonakis, and Diego Giraldez.
200
We needed to understand how our
100
buildings were currently performing in
0.0
energy use and intensity, where energy
W2-W4
62-64
NW86
NW35
NW30
Ww15
NW10
NW61
Nw22
Nw12
Nw62
Nw13
Nw15
Nw14
Nw21
Nw16
Nw17
W51C
W11
W84
W79
W45
W20
W85
W34
W35
W70
W92
W98
W32
W59
W33
W53
W89
W13
W15
W16
W61
W91
N52
W31
W51
W71
N10
N57
32P
N51
E62
E55
E25
E52
E40
E23
E53
E38
E60
E34
E33
E18
E19
E15
E14
E51
E17
W1
W7
W8
W5
11
44
32
46
68
36
56
26
66
54
38
39
50
35
48
12
33
34
13
18
N4
N9
14
10
16
24
57
37
31
51
76
41
17
E2
E1
4
8
was coming from, and what upgrades A tool recently developed by Atelier Ten enables MIT planners to visualize campus energy use at the 0.0
had taken placea system of record, building level and in aggregate. This graph shows energy use intensity (EUI) for numerous campus 20M
40M
buildings, highlighting the distribution of energy among chilled water, electricity, gas, and steam.
The tool uses a statistical estimate of energy use for each building (shown as a detached gray line)
Office of Sustainability. This tool is
80M
to evaluate the effect of various energy efficiency measures on campus emissions. 100M
the most reductions in energy use and emissionsmeaning that their energy For example, much of MITs energy 140M
Commissioned in August 2014 by MITs ing and distributing power than the 220M
W2-W4
62-64
NW30
Ww15
NW10
NW61
Nw22
Nw12
Nw62
Nw13
Nw15
Nw14
Nw21
Nw16
Nw17
W51C
W11
W84
W85
W34
W35
W70
W92
W98
W32
W59
W33
W53
W89
W13
W15
W16
W61
W91
W31
N52
W51
W71
N10
N57
N51
E25
E52
E40
E23
E53
E38
E60
E34
E33
E18
E19
E15
E51
E17
W7
W8
W5
11
44
36
56
26
66
54
38
39
50
35
48
12
33
34
18
N4
N9
14
10
16
24
57
31
37
51
41
17
E2
E1
4
Net Zero Energy Working Group and The Atelier Ten tool was an attempt electric grid. Therefore, MITs carbon
0.0
developed by Atelier Ten, an environ- to, based on existing energy data, build emissions for every kilowatt-hour (kWh)
mental design consultancy, the tool for a model to explain which buildings use generated on campus are lower than 20M
the first time brings together a wide energy for what. Its a very innovative the same kWh purchased from the grid.
40M
variety of data about MITs buildings thing, says Reinhart, who heads MITs
Professor Robert Armstrong, director of the MIT Energy Initiative, discusses the elements of our
The issues at hand were organized under
current energy revolution during his introduction to the Fuel pillar of the MIT Solve conference,
four pillars: Cure tackled the most held on the MIT campus on October 58, 2015. Armstrong moderated the Fuel pillar with Angela
pressing challenges in health care today; Belcher, the James Mason Crafts Professor in biological engineering and materials science and
Learn, those in the education system; engineering at MIT.
and Make, those related to infrastruc-
ture and the economy. The Fuel pillars The Fuel pillar was moderated by At the kickoff roundtable panel for Fuel,
objectiveto double energy and food MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI) Director leaders in the conventional energy
production, halve carbon output by Robert Armstrong and Angela Belcher, industry focused on new horizons for
2050, and set a path to net-zero carbon the James Mason Crafts Professor energy and the need for sustainable and
emissions by 2100acknowledged the in biological engineering and materials renewable energy solutions to meet
importance of improving quality of life science and engineering. In his intro- growing energy demand in the develop-
in developing countries and protecting duction setting the framework for ing world. Panelists also stressed the
our environment while feeding a Fuel, Armstrong emphasized the strong critical ties between energy issues and
growing global population. connection he feels exists between food and water issues. Cheap renew-
MITEI and Solves mission statement: able energy and clean water are critical
At MITEI, we feel that a collaborative to allowing the world to make, learn,
Note: All panels, with the exception of
approach is essential to making and build, one speaker said.
public sessions, were held under the
change. The key linkages that Solve
Chatham House Rule in order to foster
seeks to create between like-minded After this opening session, Fuel partici-
an environment of candid, respectful
individuals and institutions around the pants broke off into four parallel
exchange. Under Chatham House Rule,
world will enable us to find inclusive sessions on renewable energy, nuclear,
participants are free to use the informa-
solutions to global issues. He identi- climate, and food.
tion received, but neither the identity
fied seven elements in particular that
nor the affiliation of the speaker(s),
he considers important to what he The renewable energy panel focused
nor that of any other participant,
called our current energy revolution: on pathways to worldwide implementa-
may be revealed. Quotes from private
solar; storage; carbon capture, use, tion of advanced renewable energy
sessions are attributed in this article
and sequestration; nuclear; materials; sources. Francis OSullivan, director of
only with the speakers permission.
the grid; and bioenergy. research and analysis at MITEI, echoed
MITEI Executive Director Martha Broad After the breakout panel discussions, By Francesca McCaffrey, MITEI
commented on the dedication to Armstrong and Belcher reconvened
positive change evident as the the Fuel pillar participants for a public
researchers discussed their work and session with Ratan Tata, chairman
visions for the future, calling the Solve of the Tata Trusts, and Robert Stoner,
program an important convening director of the MIT Tata Center for
of experts and a fascinating meeting Technology and Design and deputy
of the minds. director for science and technology at
MITEI. Before introducing Tata and
could help.
During an end-of-day panel synthesiz- MIT is good at, he said. Were all
ing the main ideas of the conference, about advancing technical ideas that will
MIT Institute Professor John Deutch really make a difference in the target
translated Rams convictions into space. None of this is certain, but there
sociological terms: It cant be denied is so much potential there, if we could Dr. Ellen Williams, director of the US Depart-
ment of Energys Advanced Research Projects
that access to electricity brings along only lose some unnecessary weight.
AgencyEnergy, describes ARPAEs programs
with it better health, safety, and socio- and projects at MIT Solar Day.
economic status. Francis OSullivan, MITEIs director of
research and analysis and the confer- James Mason Crafts Professor at MIT,
ence organizer, summed up the state of joined Bulovic in discussing a novel
Time is short solar energy in this way: Where we way of producing organic-inorganic
are today with respect to solar as a real perovskite solar cells, a new technology
Throughout the conference, there was a option for addressing climate change with the potential for high efficiency and
sense that time is of the essence and an would have been very hard to conceive low cost. Rather than using conventional
appreciation for the importance ofshar- even five years ago, and thats a great manufacturing pathways, the research-
ing great ideas with fellow MIT commu- thing. But right now, there is a gap ers are using inkjet printing, allowing for
nity membersinspiring minds and between the types of technology weve scalable and cost-sensitive deployment.
hands to continue innovating to meet rolled out and the types of technology
current and future global challenges. that are happening in the lab. A scale- Chitti Desai, an undergraduate
up challenge exists in between. That, researcher working with the MITSUTD
Even with many people working for me, is one of the salient takeaways International Design Center, presented
efficiently toward a goal, the research from today. her work as part of a team creating a
process can be long and arduous. dynamic online database for individuals
Bulovic aptly brought up the example MITEI Director Armstrong added, planning to purchase small-scale solar
of the zipper, a now-ubiquitous tool In addition to hearing about lots of lighting for their homes and businesses.
that took 12 years to reach mass usage different technology advances in todays The country-specific database will
after its first demonstrations. The sessions, what I saw today were the provide information on the best local
conception-to-adoption pipeline for beginnings of more cross-disciplinary suppliers of solar lighting, evaluated
solar technologies is similarly lengthy. interactions. Id hoped for this from based on cost, quality, and a variety
Solar Day. I think that the answers of other factors.
Thats why MIT researchers arent and key issues we need to address in
indiscriminately focusing on new order to get solar deployed at large By bringing the MIT community
technologiestheyre looking for the scale lie at the intersections of all of together to learn about each others
right technologies. Dr. Ellen Williams, the different solar research niches. research and to explore the potential
director of the US Department of of future technologies, MIT Solar Day
Energys Advanced Research Projects has sparked a discussion about how
AgencyEnergy (ARPAE) put it well: Student showcase the Institute can continue to be a leader
With new technology, were always in solar technology innovation for the
thinking: If it works, will it matter? This sense of innovation and promise climate, the economy, and the well-
Indeed, this is what ARPAE as an carried over into the student poster being of the global community. As
organization was made forits highly session that capped off the day. More ARPAE Director Williams said, Current
selective funding process is built around than 20 research groups gathered in energy and emissions projections are
the goal of buoying the cutting-edge the lobby of MITs Bartos Theater to not what will happen and not what
projects that, if brought to fruition showcase their latest work. Posters should happen. We can change them.
in a timely way, will be most impactful. covering research on everything from
classic crystalline silicon solar cells to
Deutch agreed that this philosophy carbon nanotube photovoltaics were
translates well for the Institute: This is on display. Anna Osherov, a postdoc in By Francesca McCaffrey, MITEI
what MIT is supposed to be doing, what the laboratory of Angela Belcher, the
MITEIs Founding and Sustaining Members support flagship MITEIs Associate Members support a range of MIT research
energy research programs and projects at MIT to advance consortia, education programs, and outreach activities
energy technologies to benefit their businesses and society. together with multiple stakeholders from industry, govern-
They also provide seed funding for early-stage innovative ment, and academia. In general, these efforts focus on
research projects and support named Energy Fellows at MIT. near-term policy issues, market design questions, and the
To date, members have made possible more than 140 seed impact of emerging technologies on the broader energy
grant projects across the campus as well as fellowships for system. Specific programs include the Utility of the Future
more than 350 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in study, the Associate Member Symposium Program, and
20 MIT departments and divisions. the MITEI Colloquia and Seminar Series.
M I T E I S U S TA I N I N G M E M B E R S
MITEI Affiliates are individual donors and foundations that During October 2015, the MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI) signed
support MITEIs energy- and climate-related activities across multiyear renewal agreements with two of its members:
the Institute. Specific programs include the Undergraduate Shell and Ferrovial.
Research Opportunities Program, supplemental seed funding
for early-stage innovative research projects, the MIT Energy Shell is pleased to renew its Founding Membership in
Conference, the Tata Center for Technology and Design, MITEI, said Dirk Smit, vice president exploration technology
and the MIT Climate CoLab. and chief scientist geophysics, Royal Dutch Shell. MIT is
a key academic partner, helping us drive critical R&D
and innovation projects in the energy domain. Through
our membership in MITEI, Shell gains access to new and
emerging technologies and to nontraditional external
M I T E I A F F I L I AT E S
collaboration partners.
8 Rivers Capital
This renewal agreement signed with MITEI will build on
Guillaume P. Amblard 87, SM 89
a partnership that supports the development of innovative
Asociacin Nacional de Empresas Generadoras (ANDEG)
energy projects benefiting both our company and society,
Aspen Technology, Inc.
said Federico Flrez, chief information officer and innovation
AWS Truepower, LLC
officer at Ferrovial.
Larry Birenbaum 69
Blackrock, Inc.