search results for: Wind Energy
Showing 16 of 64 Results
Climate Now: May 17, 2022
Will the clean energy transition be cheaper than we thought?
The recent working paper by Rupert Way, Matthew Ives, Penny Mealy, and Doyne Farmer, Empirically grounded technology forecasts and the energy transition, suggests that the high estimates of the expense to transition to renewable energy have been inflated, and
Climate Now: May 9, 2022
Diluting dependence on Russian oil: How renewable energy can defund a war
Among the top importers of Russian oil are the EU, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, and France. The EU accounted for 71% of oil imports from Russia 2 months after the war in Ukraine began. But cutting off oil and gas imports from Russia completely can pose gre
Climate Now: May 2, 2022
The bottom line on sustainable shipping: Can the shipping industry reach zero emissions?
If the international shipping sector were a country, it would be the sixth largest CO2 emitting nation in the world. Every year, 11 billion tons of goods – about 80% of all the goods we use or consume – reach us by ship, emitting nearly a billion t
Climate Now: Mar 29, 2022
Can ammonia or wind propel carbon-free shipping?
In the race for decarbonization, the shipping industry faces major challenges. Fuel is cheap, almost half the price of gasoline. And, most ships last between 20-25 years, meaning that the turnover to cleaner shipping could take far longer than road transportat
Climate Now: Mar 22, 2022
How the electricity grid works
One of the most efficient ways to get to a net-zero economy is to generate electricity from renewable sources, and then make as many things run on electricity as possible. But, as more end-use services (transportation, heating, industry) are electrified, and
Technologies Ep 8
Wind Energy
In order to reach global net-zero emissions by the middle of the century, modeled pathways project that wind energy will need to be a primary source of electricity, accounting for 19-43% of global electricity production. Today, though, wind produces only 6% of
Climate Now: Dec 9, 2021
Scaling wind energy: What it will take to reach global net-zero, with Simon Watson
Wind energy is one of the cheapest sources of energy today, but it accounts for only ~6% of global electricity generation. To limit global warming to 2 degrees C or less, wind energy will need to scale up to about 5 times its current size. So, how can this b
Technologies Ep 3
Building stars on Earth: the potential of nuclear fusion
Energy from nuclear fusion has the potential to cleanly and safely power the world. But, when do fusion experts expect this to happen? What technical challenges must be overcome before we can power our homes using fusion energy? Which technologies are lead
Climate Now: Aug 27, 2021
Nuclear Energy: What are the real risks? with David Keith
Despite being a reliable, zero-emissions alternative to energy derived from fossil fuels, nuclear energy remains mired in controversy. Opponents often cite four reasons not to include nuclear in the portfolio of alternative energy sources that will replace fos
Climate Now: Aug 20, 2021
Investing in the Energy Transition with Salim Samaha
Transitioning to a sustainable energy economy will require significant input of investment capital. But how do investors decide which companies and technologies to back as society moves toward a carbon neutral future? Salim Samaha heads energy project investme
Technologies Ep 1
Clean Fuel: Hydrogen Fuel
Hydrogen is uniquely qualified as a storage of clean energy because it is abundant – the most abundant element in the universe – and it can be produced using renewable energy. When consumed in a fuel cell, its only byproduct is water, making it
Climate Now: Jul 19, 2021
Bioenergy Conversion with Jerry Tuskan
How exactly are plants converted into liquid transportation fuel? And what obstacles does bioenergy need to overcome in order to displace fossil fuels in the US energy economy and abroad? Jerry Tuskan is the CEO of the Center for Bioenergy Innovation and Group
Climate Now: Jul 12, 2021
Biomass Availability with Matthew Langholtz
Bioenergy is a renewable energy for its carbon neutrality – plants absorb CO2 during photosynthesis and emit the same amount when combusted for energy. But to significantly reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, substantial amounts of biomass, or organic m
Research Ep 1
Net-Zero by 2050
Pledges to achieve “net-zero” emissions are proliferating from companies and countries alike. However sincere these commitments may be, they rarely include specific plans to achieve that ambition. The Net-Zero America Report from Princeton Universi
Climate Now: Jun 25, 2021
Net-Zero by 2050 with Eric Larson
What are the possible paths and necessary steps to achieve net-zero emissions in the United States by 2050? Which energy sources could sufficiently decrease our reliance on natural gas and oil to meet that target? And how much will those new energy sources nee
Climate Now: Apr 19, 2021
Climate 101 with Kerry Emanuel
Dr. Kerry Emanuel, professor of Atmospheric Science at MIT and co-founder of the MIT Lorenz Center discusses how we can solve climate change.