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Sustainable Energy

An aerosol can sprays into the air against a black background

How a spray from the hardware store could improve nuclear fusion

A coating of polyurethane keeps plasma problems in check during magnetic compression. |Medium Read
4 people sit as a panel

The race to zero carbon emissions

When the only number that matters is zero, this climate summit asked participants to leave their preconceptions about acceptable solutions at the door.|Medium Read
Andre Boehman, professor of mechanical engineering and director of the Walter E. Lay Automotive Laboratory at the University of Michigan. Photo: Evan Dougherty

The government aims to boost ethanol without evidence that it saves money or helps the environment

Andre Boehman says increasing ethanol blended with gasoline can damage older machines and do little to curb climate change.|Medium Read
A transparent aerogel could reduce the energy loss in absorbers for solar thermal power plants by 67 percent. Credit: Lenert Lab, Michigan Engineering

$1.6M for solar cell windows and high-temperature solar power

New sustainability research garners support from Department of Energy’s Solar Energy Technologies Office. |Medium Read
Solar powered windows

A window into the future of solar power

Windows in the buildings of the future could double as efficient solar cells.|Medium Read
Zetian Mi

Photosynthesis and Clean Energy

Prof. Zetian Mi talks about a new way to create energy from the sun - borrowing from the idea of photosynthesis.|Short Read
Live micro algae that is being introduced as a source of vegetable oils that can be used in the manufacturing of biodiesel fuel to replace the existing traditional agricultural sources of oil. Andre Boehman, professor of mechanical engineering and director of the Walter E. Lay Automotive Laboratory at the University of Michigan. Photo: Evan Dougherty

From ponds to power: $2M to perfect algae as a diesel fuel

University of Michigan becomes one of the few institutes in the world working on the problem end-to-end.|Medium Read
An electron microscope image

Heat transfer surprise could lead to thermal transistors

Mechanical engineers find another way to break Planck's law at the nanoscale.|Medium Read
Professor Sick's research group look at their findings. Photo: Joseph Xu

‘Carbon negative, dollar positive’

A new initiative aspires to turn a greenhouse gas into profitable products.|Medium Read
A solar array on U-M’s North Campus

The material that could power tomorrow’s solar cells

‘We estimate that a finished solar cell could be about ten times cheaper than an equivalent gallium arsenide cell.’ |Medium Read
leaf

Harvesting clean hydrogen fuel through artificial photosynthesis

New device doubles previous efficiency, opens path to commercial viability.|Medium Read
GRID Solar students

Installing an alternative on spring break

Students put up solar power systems and learned the local issues of a Native American reservation while on spring break.|Medium Read