MIT launches future energy systems research consortium
The Future Energy Systems Centre is aimed to integrate researchers from across MIT to address the role of energy systems in reaching net zero carbon emissions.
The new member supported Centre, launched by the MIT Energy Initiative, the university’s hub for research, education and community and public outreach, is adopting a ‘whole systems’ approach to investigate the technologies, policies, demographics and economics that are reshaping the energy system landscape.
It forms part of MIT’s ‘Fast forward: MIT’s climate action plan for the decade’ initiative, which was launched last year as a “multi-pronged effort announced to address the climate crisis”.
“Deep decarbonisation of our energy system requires an economy-wide perspective on the technology options, energy flows, materials flows, life-cycle emissions, costs, policies and socioeconomics consequences,” says Randall Field, the Centre’s executive director.
“A systems approach is essential in enabling cross-disciplinary teams to work collaboratively together to address the existential crisis of climate change.”
Have you read?
UK Research and Innovation targets net-zero computing by 2040
Five predictions for energy transition trends in 2022
Through integrative analysis of the entire energy system, the Centre intends to provide insights into the complex multi-sectorial transformations needed to alter the three major energy-consuming sectors of the economy – transport, industry and buildings – in conjunction with three major decarbonisation-enabling technologies – electricity, energy storage and low carbon fuels and carbon management.
An example is that the increased reliance on variable renewable energy, such as wind and solar, and greater electrification of transportation, industry and buildings requires expansion of demand management and other solutions for balancing of electricity supply and demand across these areas.
Likewise, balancing supply and demand will require deploying grid-scale energy storage and converting the electricity to low carbon fuels such as hydrogen, which can, in turn, play a vital role in the energy transition for hard to decarbonise segments of transportation, industry and buildings.
Carbon management in the form of carbon capture and storage will also play a critical role in decarbonising industry, electricity, and fuels.
Projects for the research programme are selected by a steering committee made up of 11 MIT professors and led by MIT Energy Initiative Director Robert C. Armstrong, Chevron Professor of Chemical Engineering.
The Centre members to date are AECI, Analog Devices, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Copec, Dominion, Duke Energy, Enerjisa, Eneva, Eni, Equinor, Eversource, Exelon, ExxonMobil, Ferrovial, Iberdrola, IHI, National Grid, Raizen, Repsol, Rio Tinto, Shell, Tata Power, Toyota Research Institute and Washington Gas.
