Top University Research in Sustainability
High-impact sustainability research and innovations from world's leading universities.
Cornell University
Green hydrogen filling station fueled by Cornell research
31-Mar-2021
Catalyzed by a Cornell grant and research over the past decade, the Standard Hydrogen Corporation (SHC) and National Grid recently announced plans to build the first hydrogen “energy station” of its kind in the US. The SHC Energy Transfer System will be built in New York’s Capital Region. Read More...
Princeton University'
Ingredient in household cleaner could improve fusion reactions
30-Mar-2021
Research led by scientists provides new evidence that particles of boron, the main ingredient of Borax household cleaner, can improve the efficiency of the fusion reactions Read More...
MIT
Energy transition with better storage
29-Mar-2021
Researchers evaluate the role and value of long-duration energy storage technologies in securing a carbon-free electric grid. Read More...
MIT
Powering the energy transition with better storage
29-Mar-2021
Researchers evaluate the role and value of long-duration energy storage technologies in securing a carbon-free electric grid. Read More...
MIT
Study reveals plunge in lithium-ion battery costs
23-Mar-2021
Analysis quantifies a dramatic price drop that parallels similar improvements in solar and wind energy, and shows further steep declines could be possible Read More...
Caltech
Techno Economic Analysis of Industrial Green Hydrogen Production
19-Mar-2021
A Caltech team that developed a model to analyze the real production costs and carbon emissions from the production of industrial hydrogen. Read More...
Stanford
Stanford study finds that wind energy output increases when people need heat the most
17-Mar-2021
Using the latest climate and energy models, Stanford professor Mark Jacobson shows that wind energy production increases during the coldest spells when heat demand is highest and can help prevent cold weather–related blackouts. Read More...
Purdue University
New technology aims to improve battery life
11-Mar-2021
The Purdue researchers developed a new, custom logic family that can be used to reduce the power needed by the CMOS. This new technology can run with a power supply down to near-threshold or sub-threshold levels. This will reduce the energy used by the CMOS. Read More...
Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech Researchers Awarded $4.35 Million in 2020 for Direct Air Capture Projects
09-Mar-2021
Researchers in Georgia Tech’s School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering are principal investigators on six new projects that have been awarded a total of $4.35 million for studies related to direct air capture science and technology. Read More...
MIT
Emre Gençer on the evolving role of hydrogen in the energy system
05-Mar-2021
With support from renewable energy sources, the MIT research scientist says, we can consider hydrogen fuel as a tool for decarbonization. Read More...
MIT
How to reduce the environmental impact of your next virtual meeting
04-Mar-2021
Study uncovers overlooked environmental impacts of internet use by estimating associated carbon, land, and water footprints. Read More...
Cornell University
Cornell team develops sustainable building simulation method
25-Feb-2021
The framework allows designers to understand the full environmental impact of their building. It is a decision-making tool that can dynamically and concurrently simulate several variables. Read More...
MIT
King Climate Action Initiative announces new research to test and scale climate solutions
25-Feb-2021
The King Climate Action Initiative (K-CAI) announced the results of its first competition aimed at identifying and scaling innovative solutions at the intersection of poverty and climate change. Read More...
Purdue University
New mix could double concrete’s carbon uptake
10-Feb-2021
The research team discovered that adding only small amounts of nano-titanium dioxide nearly doubles concrete’s absorption of the problematic greenhouse gas. Read More...
Purdue University
Purdue plant science startup receives NSF funding
08-Feb-2021
A Purdue University-affiliated startup that designs, distributes and supports direct-to-consumer, in-home greenhouses has won a National Science Foundation Small Business Innovation Research grant. Read More...
Princeton University
Princeton researchers at forefront of national plans for technological and social transition to net-zero emissions
03-Feb-2021
Scientists and research based at Princeton University played a critical role in a new national report that investigates the technology, policy and societal dimensions of accelerating decarbonization in the United States. Read More...
Cornell University
Cornell wind energy scientists release a new global wind atlas
02-Feb-2021
Cornell wind energy scientists have released a new global wind atlas. It is a digital compendium filled with documented extreme wind speeds for all parts of the world to help engineers select the turbines in any given region. Read More...
Purdue University
Purdue rare-earth element innovations, critical for clean energy technologies
02-Feb-2021
American Resources Corp. acquires environmentally safer method developed at Purdue to advance clean energy technologies that require rare-earth elements Read More...
MIT
Boosting the efficiency of carbon capture and conversion systems
25-Jan-2021
Researchers at MIT have developed a method that could significantly boost the performance of systems that use catalytic surfaces to enhance the rates of carbon-sequestering electrochemical reactions. Read More...
Purdue University
Turn off that camera during virtual meetings
14-Jan-2021
Just one hour of videoconferencing or streaming, for example, emits 150-1,000 grams of carbon dioxide requires 2-12 liters of water. Read More...
University of Virginia
Fuel cell research breakthrough could transform clean energy
18-Dec-2020
Using an innovative chemical strategy developed at UVA, a team of researchers led by College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences chemistry professors Sen Zhang and T. Brent Gunnoe have produced a new form of fuel cell catalyst using the elements cobalt and titanium. Read More...
MIT
Making smart thermostats more efficient
18-Dec-2020
A smart thermostat quickly learns to optimize building microclimates for both energy consumption and user preference. Read More...
MIT
To boost emissions reductions from electric vehicles, know when to charge
17-Dec-2020
MIT researchers develop novel EV emissions model to quantify importance of vehicle charging patterns and impact of ambient temperature on EV emissions levels. Read More...
MIT
A cool advance in thermoelectric conversion
11-Dec-2020
A quantum effect in topological semimetals demonstrated by MIT researchers could allow for the utilization of an untapped energy source. Read More...
MIT
MIT labs win top recognition for sustainable practices in cold storage management
08-Dec-2020
Whitehead Institute and MIT named 2020 Organizational Winners in the fourth annual International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories International Laboratory Freezer Challenge. Read More...
Princeton University'
How plants compete for underground real estate affects climate change
03-Dec-2020
An international team of researchers discover whether plants invest differently in root structures when planted alone versus when planted alongside a neighbor. Read More...
UCLA
UCLA-Led Research Shows Efficient and Inexpensive Fuel-Cells in Sight
09-Nov-2020
Advance provides pathways for renewable energy and hydrogen-powered automobiles Read More...
Cambridge University
Clean fuel created from carbon dioxide, water and sunlight
04-Nov-2020
A wireless device capable of converting sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water into a carbon-neutral fuel called formic acid has been developed by a Cambridge Univ team Read More...
Purdue University
White paint could reduce the need for air conditioner
21-Oct-2020
Purdue University engineers have created white paint that can keep surfaces up to 18 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than their ambient surroundings – almost like a refrigerator does, but without consuming energy. Read More...
MIT
Solar-powered system extracts drinkable water from “dry” air
14-Oct-2020
Researchers at MIT and elsewhere have significantly boosted the output from a system that can extract drinkable water directly from the air even in dry regions, using heat from the sun or another source. Read More...
Cornell University
New research project for optimizing offshore wind farm design
13-Oct-2020
Research to unlock the power of wind energy by optimizing the spacing between wind turbines and wind turbine arrays to maximize power production. Read More...
MIT
Antarctic sea ice may not cap carbon emissions as much as previously thought
01-Oct-2020
Study suggests sea ice blocks the flow of carbon both into and out of the ocean, in roughly equal measure. Read More...
University of Toronto
Low-carbon health care: U of T, local hospitals launch Sustainable Health System
28-Sep-2020
Leaders from 12 hospital systems that comprise the Toronto Academic Health Science Network (TAHSN) and the seven health science faculties that make up the University of Toronto’s Council of Health Sciences have formed the Sustainable Health System Community of Practice. Read More...
Purdue University
Purdue research drives efforts toward cleaner air in California
16-Sep-2020
Purdue University research is driving clean air changes in California and could lead to landmark vehicle emissions changes across the United States. Read More...
Stanford
Stanford technology predicts the slow death of a lithium-ion battery
14-Sep-2020
A new model offers a way to predict the condition of a battery’s internal systems in real-time with far more accuracy than existing tools. Read More...
Purdue University
DoE funding to speed up adoption of 3D-printed microreactors
02-Sep-2020
The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded an $800,000 grant to Purdue University's College of Engineering for a project to accelerate the introduction of the 3D-printed microreactor Read More...
MIT
Assessing the value of battery energy storage in future power grids
12-Aug-2020
Researchers from MIT and Princeton University examine battery storage to determine key drivers that impact its economic value, how that value might change with increasing deployment over time, and the implications for the long-term cost-effectiveness of storage Read More...
MIT
Shrinking deep learning’s carbon footprint
07-Aug-2020
Deep learning has made the recent AI revolution possible, but its growing cost in energy and carbon emissions is untenable. Read More...
MIT
A new approach to carbon capture
09-Jul-2020
Developing a technology that can capture the CO2 in the air is a particularly hard problem, in part because the CO2 occurs in such low concentrations. Read More...
University of Michigan
U-M’s Advanced Transportation Hub announces funding to 8 promising mobility projects
08-Jul-2020
Of those selected for funding, seven were led by researchers at U-M and one was led by a researcher at Western Michigan University. These projects aim to tackle market needs, offering ways to increase the efficiency, safety and sustainability of moving people and goods. Read More...
Princeton University'
Clean energy technologies and transition
02-Jul-2020
Princeton and ExxonMobil have renewed a five-year partnership aimed at accelerating the science behind next-generation energy and environmental technologies. ExxonMobil will continue to work with Princeton faculty and students to develop innovative solutions to help us meet society’s dual challenge of providing energy to those who need it and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.” Read More...
University of Toronto
U of T researchers seek to reduce chemical industry's carbon footprint
12-Jun-2020
Developed highly efficient electrochemical processes for producing ethylene – one of the world’s most common industrial chemicals – from waste CO2 rather than from fossil fuels. Read More...
Purdue University
‘Hot’ electrons for more efficient energy use
04-Jun-2020
Highly energetic, “hot” electrons have the potential to help solar panels more efficiently harvest light energy. Read More...
Stanford
Stanford researchers design a more efficient and affordable desalination process
01-Jun-2020
A new device capable of turning desalination waste into commercially valuable chemicals could make the process cheaper and more environmentally friendly. Read More...
Purdue University
Artificial intelligence is energy-hungry. New hardware could curb its appetite
07-May-2020
Sharing intelligence features between hardware and software would offset the energy needed for using AI in more advanced applications such as self-driving cars or discovering drugs. Read More...
Purdue University
3D-printed concrete to help build offshore wind energy infrastructure
30-Apr-2020
Purdue University engineers are conducting research on a way to make these parts out of 3D-printed concrete, a less expensive material that would also allow parts to float to a site from an onshore plant. Read More...
Purdue University
Carbon dioxide sensor can lower energy use, reduce utility costs
21-Apr-2020
Purdue researchers have developed a sensor to help control and cut down on energy consumption through heating and ventilation systems. Read More...
University of Toronto
'Reverse fuel cell' built by U of T researchers converts waste carbon into valuable products
11-Feb-2020
In their latest electrolyzer design, the team used a unique arrangement of materials to overcome the challenges of bringing the reactants together Read More...
University of Michigan
‘Green methane’ from artificial photosynthesis could recycle CO2
10-Jan-2020
A new artificial photosynthesis approach uses sunlight to turn carbon dioxide into methane, which could help make natural-gas-powered devices carbon neutral. Read More...
Purdue University
A simplified way to turn food waste into hydrogen energy
07-Jan-2020
The Purdue scientists developed a method to improve the production of hydrogen from food waste using yeast. Read More...
Princeton University'
New technology boosts energy efficiency in data centers
19-Dec-2019
The new device aggregates power conversion into one unit, and then distributes that power. It can increase the energy efficiency of the power-delivery system by 60% to 88%. Read More...
Cornell University
Discovery in gallium nitride could be a key enabler of energy efficient electronics
26-Sep-2019
The team plans to use their invention in more complex circuits, opening up new possibilities in high-power switching, 5G cellular technology and energy efficient electronics, including phone and laptop chargers. Read More...
Purdue University
New research aims to optimize farmland use for crops, solar electricity production
08-Aug-2019
Purdue University professors are questioning what else fertile farmland can be used for with a new multidisciplinary project researching how to improve future sustainability by simultaneously using crop fields for solar electricity production. Read More...
Georgia Tech
Reinvented Toilets Could Provide Safe Sanitation for 2.5 Billion People
29-Jul-2019
A Georgia Tech faculty, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is trying to reinvent the toilet, a technology that hasn’t changed much in more than a century. Read More...
Georgia Tech
Rising Tundra Temperatures Create Worrying Changes in Microbial Communities
08-Jul-2019
Rising temperatures in the tundra of the Earth’s northern latitudes could affect microbial communities in ways likely to increase their production of greenhouse gases methane and carbon dioxide, a new study suggests Read More...
University of Michigan
How air conditioners could advance a renewable power grid
05-Feb-2019
More strategic control of air conditioners could improve the overall efficiency and reliability of the power grid and make it easier to transition to renewable energy, and achieving this is the goal of the project Read More...