Stanford Earth Matters covers insights, discoveries, and solutions from the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability.
The economic impact of expanding electricity access
A new tool that pairs satellite imagery with AI has uncovered some of the strongest evidence yet of the extent to which electrification fuels economic growth. (Source: Stanford News)
Solar panels largely confined to wealthy Americans
Tax rebates for installing residential solar power have done little to spur adoption in low-income communities in the United States, while a less common incentive seems to succeed, according to new research using AI and satellite images. (Source: Stanford News)
For a longer-lasting battery, make the most of each cell
The secret to long life for rechargeable batteries may lie in an embrace of difference. New modeling of how lithium-ion cells in a pack degrade show a way to tailor charging to each cell’s capacity so EV batteries can handle more charge cycles and stave off failure. (Source: Stanford News)
How can we harness wind and improve airflow to benefit society?
A scholar looks at how wind affects the sustainability and resiliency of buildings and cities, and how we can improve ventilation in homes and other structures. (Source: Stanford Engineering)
Charging cars at home at night is not the way to go, Stanford study finds
The move to electric vehicles will result in large costs for generating, transmitting, and storing more power. Shifting current EV charging from home to work and night to day could cut costs and help the grid, according to a new Stanford study. (Source: Stanford News)
Using satellite images, scholars develop a model to quantify buildings’ energy use
The model could help policymakers redesign cities for a lower-carbon world. (Source: Stanford HAI)
Will AI help or perpetuate the climate crisis?
Panelists in the Advancing Technology for a Sustainable Planet workshop detailed AI’s energy and regulatory challenges. (Source: Stanford HAI)
Deep-dive into the science of batteries
Stanford researchers are working to understand battery degradation, reveal the true toll of their production and disposal, and make next-generation batteries better. (Source: Stanford News)
New 'lab on a chip' may accelerate carbon storage efforts
A tiny new device allows scientists to directly observe and quantify how rocks change in the presence of acids, enabling more accurate assessments of sites for underground storage of carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and industrial waste.
New optical device could help solar arrays focus light, even under clouds
Researchers imagined, designed, and tested an elegant lens device that can efficiently gather light from all angles and concentrate it at a fixed output position. (Source: Stanford Engineering)
A day in the life of an electricity and cool cow engineer
Gustavo Cezar wears two colorful hats as an engineer with SLAC’s GISMo lab. (Source: SLAC)
New model offers potential solutions for next-generation battery challenges
A new mathematical model has brought together the physics and chemistry of highly promising lithium-metal batteries, providing researchers with plausible, fresh solutions to a problem known to cause degradation and failure.
Small modular reactors produce high levels of nuclear waste
Small modular reactors, long touted as the future of nuclear energy, will actually generate more radioactive waste than conventional nuclear power plants, according to research from Stanford and the University of British Columbia.
Earthquakes from oil field wastewater
Underground disposal of wastewater from fossil fuel production in the nation’s largest oil field is causing long-dormant faults to slip in a way that could damage wells, according to new analyses of satellite and seismicity data.
Electricity imports within U.S. associated with about 700 premature deaths annually, study finds
More than half of the premature deaths associated with electricity use in most of California and the Northwest occur in other western states that supply electricity to the West Coast.
How one ‘extreme’ plant could help biologists engineer climate-resistant crops
Stanford biologist José Dinneny is studying why one plant grows faster in stressful conditions. His results could help scientists engineer food and biofuel crops to survive in harsher environments.
Reversible fuel cells can support grid economically
Integrated reversible power-to-gas systems can also convert hydrogen back to electricity as a backup power source surprisingly economically, new research finds.
Study finds high energy use provides little benefit for health and well-being in richer nations
Analysis of data from 140 countries suggests many rich countries could use less energy per capita without compromising health, happiness or prosperity. Countries struggling with energy poverty may be able to maximize well-being with less energy than previously thought.
Stanford energy expert discusses UN climate report
Energy expert Inês Azevedo, a lead author of the energy chapter in the United Nations’ new report on climate mitigation, discusses the assessment and changes necessary to keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius. Energy technology is ready, she says, but time is short.