US solar manufacturers lag skyrocketing market demand

US manufacturers do not produce enough solar panels to meet the nation’s demand, but industry investments and federal tax incentives have been making progress.

Mojtaba Akhavan-Tafti, Associate Research Scientist, University of Michigan • conversation
May 23, 2025 ~7 min

Do photons wear out? An astrophysicist explains light’s ability to travel vast cosmic distances without losing energy

The speed of light is the fastest anything can travel. What happens to a photon from a galaxy 25 million light years away on its journey toward Earth?

Jarred Roberts, Project Scientist, University of California, San Diego • conversation
May 20, 2025 ~6 min


In what order did the planets in our solar system form?

The biggest planets hogged a lot of the raw materials and were fully formed first.

Lucas Brefka, Ph.D. Student in Astronomy & Astrophysics, Penn State • conversation
May 19, 2025 ~6 min

How can India decarbonize its coal-dependent electric power system?

A detailed MIT analysis identifies some promising options but also raises unexpected concerns.

Nancy W. Stauffer | MIT Energy Initiative • mit
May 6, 2025 ~16 min

Why the meteorites that hit Earth have less water than the asteroid bits brought back by space probes – a planetary scientist explains new research

Water-rich meteorites contain key ingredients for life, yet they barely appear in meteorite collections. Recent research using shooting stars may explain why.

Patrick M. Shober, Postdoctoral Fellow in Planetary Sciences, NASA • conversation
April 14, 2025 ~8 min

Utilities choosing coal, solar, nuclear or other power sources have a lot to consider, beyond just cost

To really compare different electricity sources, you also have to look at the roles they play in keeping the lights on and their drawbacks.

Paola Pimentel Furlanetto, Ph.D. candidate in power systems, UMass Amherst • conversation
April 14, 2025 ~8 min

Using liquid air for grid-scale energy storage

New research finds liquid air energy storage could be the lowest-cost option for ensuring a continuous power supply on a future grid dominated by carbon-free but intermittent sources of electricity.

Nancy W. Stauffer | MIT Energy Initiative • mit
April 10, 2025 ~13 min

Ann Arbor’s sustainable energy utility aims to build the electric power grid of the future − alongside the old one

With the Trump administration prioritizing fossil fuels, cities and states will have to lead the way on clean energy.

Mike Shriberg, Professor of Practice & Engagement, School for Environment & Sustainability, University of Michigan • conversation
March 10, 2025 ~9 min


Solar farms can host up to three times as many birds as crop fields – new research

A survey of solar farms in southern England revealed surprisingly rich habitat for birds.

Joshua Copping, Conservation Scientist, RSPB & Visiting Researcher, University of Cambridge • conversation
March 4, 2025 ~5 min

Asteroid has a very small chance of hitting Earth in 2032, but a collision could devastate a city

The chances of asteroid 2024 YR4 hitting Earth are small but fluctuating.

Maggie Lieu, Research Fellow, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham • conversation
Feb. 24, 2025 ~8 min

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