Energy

IAP Externships: The Value Proposition for Student and Sponsor

by Amy Marcott on February 12, 2012

in Alumni Life,Design,Energy,IAP,Student Life

This is part of a series of posts from MIT students and alumni who were involved in the 2012 Student/Alumni Externship Program, which connected current students to alumni in workplaces worldwide during MIT’s Independent Activities Period. Alumni, learn how to get involved.

Guest blogger: Stephen J. T. Murphy SM ’87, Principal of Acquisitions, Campanelli Companies (commercial real estate development and construction firm)
Externs: Steve Bonelli and Mike DiMinico, grad students in the Center for Real Estate

MIT externs Steve Bonelli (center) and Mike DiMinico (right) with Partner Steve Murphy and his son, Dylan Murphy (left).

MIT externs Steve Bonelli (center) and Mike DiMinico (right) with Partner Steve Murphy and his son, Dylan Murphy (left).

For several years, Campanelli has participated in the MIT Externship program. Campanelli is the second largest commercial development firm in Massachusetts and this year, we have two exceptional students from the Center for Real Estate spending their time with us: Steve Bonelli and Mike DiMinico.

When we first decided to participate, we knew the potential for real value for both our firm and the students would depend on how focused we could make the students’ experience.  After all, IAP is only about three weeks long, and real estate projects can take years to complete. So how could the students really get a chance to engage?

We realized, however, that there are always many issues that could benefit from a deeper exploration but get left on the sidelines for lack of time or resources.  Yet these same topics, if properly assessed, could help clarify or alter some larger decisions on a project. We decided to take advantage of the research skills and intellectual curiosity of our externs to investigate these topics.

Each year, we design a discreet topic of investigation that can be researched and evaluated within the three-week timeframe.  About a week is devoted to data collection, a week to analysis, and a week to developing conclusions.  Steve and Mike then presented their findings to the firm. In past years, we have covered topics ranging from age-restricted housing to inter-municipal service agreements for projects that straddle community boundaries.  In each case, the topic is directly relevant to a project we are considering or have underway, and the findings have always contributed to our decisions affecting the project.

This approach also gives the externs the opportunity to learn about a topic that is both new to them and relevant in their field of study.  The topics have even served eventually as the bases for student theses.  This year, Steve and Mike collaborated on two somewhat interrelated topics: state and local incentives available to attract industrial enterprises, including those involved in renewable energy, to a particular site in Massachusetts and the incentives available to promote private development of renewable energy installations, such as solar and wind power. Campanelli is committed to exploring sustainable alternatives in their buildings and will utilize this information to pursue installing solar on some of our currently owned properties.

As a sponsor, we see a great value proposition for Campanelli in participating in the externship program.  We get to explore new areas of interest, we get to work with talented young people who bring new ideas and a fresh perspective, and we support the mission of MIT.

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Folding Car to Transform Urban Driving…and Make Parallel Parking Obsolete

by Jay London on February 8, 2012

in Alumni Life,Design,Economics,Energy,Engineering,In the News,Modern Geekhood,Research,Transportation

Looking for a parking space in a major city can make public transportation very appealing. The biggest urban driving hassles usually come not with driving itself, but with the stopping, turning, parallel parking, and the can-I-fit-in-this-space challenges that arise when you’ve reached your destination.

Enter the Hiriko (the Basque word for “urban”), a new compact vehicle designed by the MIT Media Lab whose first fleet of 20 vehicles will debut in Vitoria Gasteiz, Spain, in 2013.

From the New York Times:

The pod-like electric vehicle, whose battery pack would be leased, is a two-seater with 4-wheel drive and a range in excess of 100 kilometers, or about 60 miles. Because its wheelbase can collapse, a single parking space can accommodate three vehicles. Driver and passenger enter through a windshield that swings upward.

Instead of a single electric engine, each wheel has an independent dedicated engine, which allows for an amazing degree in control in suspension, steering, and turning. Smaller than a Smart Car, the Hiriko spins and rotates on its axis, a technique that MIT researchers call an “O-turn.” It also moves sideways, making parallel parking obsolete.

Professor Kent Larson leads the car’s Media Lab researcher team. A production model was unveiled before the European Union Commission in Brussels last week. In addition to Spain, future trials are planned in Boston, San Francisco, Berlin, Hong Kong, and Malmo, Sweden. Similar to ZipCar in the United States, the cars will be shared by users who will have access for a few hours at a time. Cars may be sold to individuals in the future, with cost estimates currently ranging around $16,000.

In addition to the Hiriko, a Media Lab team led by doctoral candidates Ryan Chin and William Lark has also created a three-wheel electric vehicle prototype that can function as a bicycle and meets all European bike-lane regulations.

For more information and video on Hiriko (formerly the MIT CityCar), visit the “Changing Places” section on the Media Lab site.

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Of Sunflowers and Solar Plants

by Jay London on February 1, 2012

in Design,Energy,Engineering,In the News,Learning,Research

When looking for ways to increase solar energy efficiency, MIT researchers simply stopped and smelled the…sunflowers.

Using the flower as inspiration, a team of researchers led by Professor Alexander Mitsos developed a solar panel layout that mimics the arrangement of sunflower florets, a pattern called Fermat’s spiral.

From MIT News:

“The MIT team…looked to nature for inspiration — specifically, to the sunflower. The florets of a sunflower are arranged in a spiraling pattern, known as a Fermat spiral, that appears in many natural objects and has long fascinated mathematicians: The ancient Greeks even applied the patterns to buildings and other architectural structures. Mathematicians have found that each sunflower floret is turned at a ‘golden angle’—about 137 degrees—with respect to its neighboring floret.”

The new layout takes up to 20 percent less space than Spain’s PS10 Solar Power Plant, Europe’s first concentrated solar power plant, which can covert enough electricity to power 6,000 homes.  Compared with the PS10’s configuration, where mirrors are arranged around in circles and the distance between mirrors akin to the seats in a movie theater, the new layout reduces shading and blocking, and increases total efficiency.

The research team, which includes Corey Noone SM ’11 and Manuel Torrihon of RWTH Aachen University in Germany, found that their new pattern could reduce shadowing and blocking throughout the day. Their findings were published in the journal Solar Energy, and the team has recently filed for patent protection.

From MIT News:

“…the spiral pattern reduced shading and blocking and increased total efficiency compared with PS10’s radially staggered configuration.

Mitsos says arranging a CSP plant in such a spiral pattern could reduce the amount of land and the number of heliostats required to generate an equivalent amount of energy, which could result in significant cost savings.”

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MIT 2030 Update: MIT to Spend $700 Million to Redevelop Kendall Square

by Jay London on December 22, 2011

in Design,Economics,Energy,In the News

MIT 2030 is a wide-ranging process designed to help MIT make thoughtful decisions about the physical campus and surrounding spaces such as Kendall Square.

The Kendall Square part of the equation has been in news, including New York City’s attempt to mimic the process with a plan to entice a premier university to establish a campus in the city. The MIT 2030 process advanced in November when MIT announced it is preparing to spend $700 million to redevelop eight properties in Kendall Square.

From The Boston Globe:

“Most of MIT’s work would be around the lower Main Street corridor near the MBTA Red Line station. The construction plan calls for about 1.1 million square feet of new space at eight locations in Kendall Square, including two large office, lab, and retail buildings along Main Street.”

MIT officials are working with neighbors and city planners to formulate a concrete plan that may include additional housing units and the first buildings could be finished within two or three years of getting permits.

MIT 2030 adds to a burgeoning development scene in and around Kendall Square, with new buildings hosting operations for some of the pharmaceutical, biotech, and technological industries leading companies.

From MIT News:

“In the past decade, the robust ecosystem for tech and biotech innovations has drawn large multinational corporations to locate in Kendall Square, particularly those specializing in the life sciences. Since Novartis moved in, pharmaceutical giants Sanofi Aventis, Merck and Genzyme have erected research facilities in Cambridge. Biogen Idec, a biotech company co-founded by MIT’s Phillip Sharp, moved from Kendall Square to a suburban location seven months ago, and is now returning its headquarters to the square. And this week, MIT and Pfizer broke ground on a new complex that will house the company’s Cardiovascular, Metabolic, and Endocrine Disease (CVMED) and Neuroscience research units.”

For more information, view the video on the 2030 website. For information on Kendall Square developments, follow @kendallnow on Twitter.

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Detergents Out! MIT’s Endicott House Goes Green

by Nancy DuVergne Smith on December 16, 2011

in Campus Culture,Energy

MIT Endicott House, a stately conference center in Dedham, has radically transformed its cleaning processes. This fall, Institute managers eliminated chemical sanitizers and detergents from its housekeeping and food services, replacing conventional products with a solution derived from electrolyzed water.

Learn about Endicott House's green efforts.

Learn about Endicott House's green efforts.

Using this new product saves money, cuts energy use, reduces chemical exposure to guests and staff, and the waste water is virtually free of contaminating substances, they say.

This revolutionary technology, the PathoSans Electrolyzed Water System sold through Massachusetts-based Lynnfield Green Technologies, electrochemically converts salt and water into a safe, non-toxic sanitizer proven to be more powerful than bleach. The solution cleans floors, carpeting, and and dishes. Now the entire facility, including guest rooms, conference rooms, common areas, and the kitchen, is cleaned and sanitized with electrolyzed water. Learn more about the technical process.

The new cleaning method is just another step in an ongoing effort that has made Endicott House, a 1934 French-style mansion, the greenest facility of its kind. “We compost, recycle everything from cardboard boxes to wooden palates and plastic bottles, and now we have virtually eliminated toxic chemical cleaners and sanitizers,” says General Manager Michael Fitzgerald. “We are the first conference center in the U.S. to adopt this technology.”

Learn more about MIT Endicott House’s green initiatives including recycling fryer oil to bio-diesel fuel, providing organic guest soaps and shampoo, and composting landscape and garden waste.

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Electric Grid’s Future: Increased Risk of Attack

by Jay London on December 14, 2011

in Economics,Energy,Engineering,In the News,Research

Despite growing smarter, the U.S. electric grid is expected to become more vulnerable and a prime target for a cyber attacks, according to a new report from the MIT Energy Initiative. The report, “The Future of the Electric Grid,” was published on Dec. 5 and cites weaknesses in oversight, processes, new communication devices, and the grid’s existing physical environment.

The study, led by MIT professors John Kassakian and Richard Schmalensee, focuses on the electric grid’s challenges over the next 20 years, including safeguarding the existing power structure, the rising prices in fossil fuels, and in the potential influx of renewable energy sources. The 268-page report also calls for the designation of a single federal agency to combat cyber attacks. President Barack Obama and his administration have advocated for the Department of Homeland Security to take the lead; other members of Congress would prefer the Department of Energy or the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

From The Future of the Electric Grid:

“This lack of a single operational entity with responsibility for grid cyber-security preparedness as well as response and recovery creates a security vulnerability in a highly interconnected electric power system comprising generation, transmission, and distribution.”

The report criticizes the current kilowatt/hour pricing system and concludes that the while the power grid is adequate for meeting today’s power needs, it will have trouble integrating alternative power sources like wind and solar. It also acknowledges that a cyber-attack will eventually succeed, and an investment of about $3.7 billion is needed to adequately secure the grid from attack.

From the report:

“Perfect protection from cyber-attacks is not possible. It is thus important for the involved government agencies, working with the private sector in a coordinated fashion, to support the research necessary to develop best practices for response to and recovery from cyber-attacks on transmission and distribution systems, so that such practices can be widely deployed.”

“The Future of the Electric Grid” is the sixth in the MIT Energy Initiative’s future-focused series, which has also studied natural gas, nuclear fuel, and transportation. For more information, view the report or watch a video discussing the report’s findings.

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Computing with Light May Answer Need for Speed

by Jay London on December 1, 2011

in Energy,In the News,Learning,Research

Professor Caroline Ross (Photo Credit: Allegra Boverman)

In many communication systems, data is transmitted via light beams through optical fibers. This transmission can be burdensome and relatively slow since once the optical signal arrives at its destination, it must be converted to electronic form, processed through electronic circuits, and finally converted back to light. MIT researchers have created a solution for this multi-tasked process, developing a new device that eliminates the need for conversion of optical to electronic signals.

From MIT News:

This technology could greatly boost the speed of data-transmission systems, for two reasons: First, light travels much faster than electrons. Second, while wires can only carry a single electronic data stream, optical computing enables multiple beams of light, carrying separate streams of data, to pass through a single optical fiber or circuit without interference. “This may be the next generation in terms of speed” for communications systems, (Toyota Professor of Materials Science Caroline) Ross says.

Ross, working in a group that includes, Thomas Lord Professor of Materials Science and Engineering Lionel Kimerling, Lei Bi ’11, and Juejun Hu PhD ’09, have developed what Ross calls a “diode for light” described in the Nov. 13 issue of Nature Photonics. Similar to an electronic diode, the device allows light to flow in one direction, but blocks it from returning in the other direction.

Garnet

Researchers used a form of a transparent, magnetic material called garnet, which is commonly used in jewelry but inherently transmits light differently in one direction than in another. The material covers one half of a loop connected to a light-transmitting channel on the chip.  The entire system can be created using standard microchip manufacturing machinery, making it much easier to commercialize than a system based on different materials.

What do you think? Could these advances replace the way fiber optic cables carry phone, TV and Internet signals? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook.

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New Recycling Machine Offers Easy Refunds, Bragging Rights

by Jay London on November 16, 2011

in Energy,In the News,Student Life

Credit: Jarrod Jones, MIT Department of Facilities

Meet Zoe. She’s over six feet tall, about five feet wide, and spends all of her time near the stairs in the first floor of W20. She’s also MIT’s newest–and smartest–recycling machine. Part of a pilot program sponsored by MIT’s Facilities Department, Zoe is a sort of “reverse vending machine” that aims to make recycling easier, cleaner, and more efficient.

Created by Greenbean Recycling, a Somerville-based startup that was a 2010 MassChallenge finalist, the machine allows students to use their phone number as a login and tabulates their real-time energy savings impact. Utilizing an energy-efficient sorting process, it makes retrieving bottle deposits an instant process by electronically depositing refunds into a student’s TechCash or PayPal account, or it can be donated to a charity or MIT education program.

From CNN’s What’sNext blog:

A bar-code reader in the machine counts the number of cans, bottles, and the like that the person has dropped off—and then uploads that data to Greenbean’s website.

Recyclers can track their progress online and even engage in competitions with fellow students.

Competitions between fraternities at MIT have been particularly fruitful, [CEO Shanker Sahai] said, with the houses trying to compete against each other to get the top spot on an online recycling leaderboard.

Zoe keeps statistics in real time with info available at gbrecycle.com.

Since the end of July, MIT has recycled 15,024 containers to date, saving 2779 kilowatts of energy. Among the MIT community, the Facility Department’s John Hames has dominated the competition with 1,505 recycled items. Zoe-like machines are planned for Tufts, Northeastern, Brandeis, and Holy Cross during the next semester, allowing the colleges to compete against each other for eco-bragging rights and, eventually, sponsored prizes like sports tickets and gift cards.

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No Battery!?! Solar Vehicle Team Leaps into Action

by Nancy DuVergne Smith on October 20, 2011

in Campus Culture,Energy

Chopper del sol, MIT's entry into the 2011 World Solar Challenge.

Chopper del Sol, MIT's 2011 World Solar Challenge entry.

Dateline: Darwin, Australia

Meet Chopper del Sol, a sleek vehicle with red, custom-made solid polyurethane tires, MIT’s entry in the World Solar Challenge 2011. You can follow that race today—Day 5 of the 3000km race across Australia’s outback–on the MIT Solar Electric Vehicle Team’s blog and photos.

Update: Get team reflections in an 11-29-11 MIT News office article.

So far, it’s been a fight for survival.

First, the battery pack failed to ship to Darwin, the starting point of the race. With only 38 hours before the race began, the team, already sleep deprived, set out to build a new battery pack with bits donated by other teams. Find out how they solved the problem and get a recap from the blog posts:

Day 1, Oct. 16

Camping near the Tropic of Capricorn landmark and Durham University.

Camping Day 4 near the Tropic of Capricorn landmark and Durham University.

“…After a shredded tyre (a quick turnaround thanks to our awesome tyre crew) we realized we were suffering a problem with our array….”

Day 2, Oct. 17

“…Our newly constructed battery pack (thanks UMich!!!) has a smaller capacity due to a lack of battery protection system circuitry, so we depleted most of it yesterday….[and] Nature was not on our side today…”

Day 3, Oct. 18

“…Once again, nature put up a tough fight. There were some major fires to the south throwing up large smoke clouds—this led to a huge decrease in array power…”

Day 4, Oct. 19

“….We upped our speed to 60-70 kph, finally allowing Chopper to strut its stuff….One terrifying moment was when we were run off the road by an oversize load trucking the other way…

Day 5, Oct. 20

Get the provisional results.

Learn more about the MIT Solar Electric Vehicle Team, the evolution of Chopper and its technical details.

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Alum-Led Panel Urges Increased Oversight of Fracking

by Liv on August 11, 2011

in Energy

Credit: www.shalegas.energy.gov/

Fracking is back in the headlines today after a federally-appointed natural gas subcommittee–convened by Energy Secretary Steven Chu and headed by MIT professor John Deutch ’61 PhD ’66–recommended increased oversight and greater public disclosure of the environmental effects of fracking, the controversial process in which water and additives are injected underground at high pressure to break apart geologic formations to release gas.

Environmental groups and some politicians have argued that fracking could contaminate water tables, but energy industry officials have repeatedly insisted that the practice is safe.

In an interview with the Financial Times, panel head Deutch said, “Our report is a compromise, and in that sense it will make nobody happy. This report is the only balanced discussion that I’ve seen of the shale gas industry.” Deutch’s involvement with the panel has been criticized due to the fact that he sits on the board of directors of two energy-related companies.

Four main concerns were highlighted in the panel’s draft report:

1. Possible water pollution from chemicals used in fracking and from methane gas releaed by the process

2. Air pollution from methane and equipment emissions used in gas production

3. Potential disruption to communities

4. Acumulative adverse effects on their ecology.

Public comments on the draft report will be accepted for the next week, before the final version is submitted to Chu and President Obama.

Read the draft, submit comments, and let us know what you think on our Facebook page.

 

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