MENU 
Sustainability
News Feed
Integrating battery storage into electrical grids can sometimes increase emissions due to market forces
An electricity market analysis found adding battery storage to enhance grid reliability caused power generation markets to favor coal over natural gas.Large open dataset aims to improve understanding of building electricity demand response
Data collected from 14 commercial buildings can help inform efforts to balance electrical grids, maintaining reliability.Living Labs: testing energy efficiency and flexibility in University buildings
Researchers advocate for pairing real-world data with model-based simulations to help the U.S. decarbonize and electrify commercial buildings.Blue PHOLEDs: Final color of efficient OLEDs finally viable in lighting
Synchronizing light and matter adds blue to the OLED color paletteECE PhD student Inhwi Hwang awarded two fellowships from IEEE for his research on power electronics
Hwang is working to enhance the stability and robustness of power grid converters, which could help strengthen grid stability for renewable energy sources, as well as help protect against cyber attacks.Yixin Xiao awarded AVS scholarship for research that supports optoelectronic and renewable energy applications
Xiao’s work has helped advance artificial photosynthesis research, and he led a project on red micro LEDs that could expand the possibilities for AR and VR applications.Ian Hiskens paraglides into retirement
Hiskens is a renowned expert in power system dynamics, who made significant contributions to integrating renewable energy sources into the grid during his 15 years at Michigan.Wireless and battery-free sensors for sustainable smart cities
The sensors will provide real-time data for smart decision-making by allowing the natural environment and the built environment to communicate seamlessly.New global partnership aims to advance renewable energy generation with net-zero hydrogen production technologies
The Global Hydrogen Production Technologies (HyPT) Center seeks to create a viable pathway to decarbonize energy-intensive industries such as ammonia, steel, cement, aluminum, transportation, and more.Environmentally-friendly chrome-like finish for cars supports wireless sensing technologies for vehicle safety
Prof. L. Jay Guo led the design of novel thin film structures that mimic the chrome appearance, but are made with environmentally benign materials, which also work well with autonomous technology.Research seeking to improve integration of renewable energy into the grid wins R&D 100 award
Led by Prof. Johanna Mathieu, the project utilizes strategic control of air conditioners to improve the overall efficiency and reliability of the power grid.Prof. Aline Eid seeks to better perceive the world using a 5G Wireless Power Grid
Prof. Eid is looking to design the future of smart cities and infrastructures using ultra-low power wireless sensing and communications technologies.Organic photovoltaics offer realistic pathway to power-generating windows
A new fabrication process greatly improves the reliability of highly-efficient semi-transparent solar cells, which can be applied to windows to generate solar power.New method to produce green hydrogen offers promising path to carbon neutrality
With next gen solar cell technology, Prof. Zetian Mi leads a DoE project to develop high efficiency, low cost, and ultrastable production of green hydrogen fuels directly from sunlight and water.Eliminating the Tradeoffs Between Farming and Solar Energy Development
Testing Semi-Transparent Solar Cell Technology at U-M’s Campus Farm.Equity in the energy technology transition is new Institute’s goal
Prof. Johanna Mathieu is the new Associate Director of the Institute for Energy Solutions, which will continue U-M's 75-year legacy of leadership in energy research.Johanna Mathieu awarded 2023 IEEE PES Wanda Reder Pioneer in Power Award
Mathieu is a national leader on research to reduce the environmental impact, cost, and inefficiency of electric power systems.Team working to reduce energy burdens in Detroit recognized with Michigan Difference Student Leadership Award
PhD students Joshua Brooks, Xavier Farrell, and Madeline Miller are part of an NSF Smart and Connected Communities project that partners with local Detroit organizations to reduce household energy insecurity.Parag Deotare awarded DURIP grant to probe exciton energy transport at nanoscale
The tool is expected to advance the study of exciton dynamics, which could help identify new research directions for clean energy and information technology.Ishtiaque Ahmed Navid awarded the Richard and Eleanor Towner Prize for Distinguished Academic Achievement
Navid focuses on developing nanomaterials for artificial photosynthesis and optoelectronic devices.ECE alum Kai Cui empowers consumers to make sustainable fashion choices with her new app
Cui is the founder and CEO of CarbonTag™, a startup that developed the first carbon emission calculator for consumer fashion products.Ishtiaque Navid receives SVCF Scholarship to support his research in semiconductor materials
Navid’s research is focused on artificial photosynthesis and optoelectronics using III-Nitride based semiconductor materials.Arthur Xiao receives SVCF Scholarship to support his research in semiconductor materials
Xiao has been working on several projects in Prof. Zetian’s Mi’s group, including micro LED technology and renewable energy.Cheap, sustainable hydrogen through solar power
Withstanding high temperatures and the light of 160 suns, a new catalyst is ten times more efficient than previous sun-powered water-splitting devices of its kind.Broadening the engineering perspective through coastline conservation in Middle Earth
As part of the U-M Engineering Global Leadership (EGL) Honors Program, Electrical Engineering undergrad Nora Desmond traveled There and Back Again to experience the sustainability culture of New Zealand.Streamlining home assessments for energy justice
In a partnership with Ecoworks, Pecan Street, and Jefferson East, Prof. Johanna Mathieu is helping create a better process for Detroit homes to benefit from decarbonization, electrification, and renewable energy integration.Photosynthesis copycat may improve solar cells
The new approach moves energy efficiently and could reduce energy losses converting light into electricity.Toward manufacturing semitransparent solar cells the size of windows
A peel-off patterning technique could enable more fragile organic semiconductors to be manufactured into semitransparent solar panels at scale.Task Force report on grid stability concepts receives IEEE PES Prize Paper Award
The rapid growth of renewable energy led to an international task force to study its impact on the stability of worldwide power systems.Solar-powered chemistry uses carbon dioxide and water to make feedstock for fuels, chemicals
Producing synthesis gas, a precursor of a variety of fuels and chemicals, no longer requires natural gas, coal or biomass.Alireza Ramyar awarded Rackham Predoctoral Fellowship for his research on power processing architectures for improved sustainability
Ramyar’s research focuses on how power and energy can be transformed, extracted from clean power generation, and stored effectively and sustainably.Ashley Jian receives Barbour Scholarship to further her research on high-power electronics
Jian works to improve the efficiency of high-power electronics for better energy security and sustainability.Anna Stuhlmacher awarded Rackham Predoctoral Fellowship for her research that could help integrate renewable energy sources into the power grid
Stuhlmacher is working to optimize the interaction between the power distribution network and the drinking water distribution network to improve the sustainability, flexibility, and resiliency of both systems.Ashley Jian awarded Marian Sarah Parker Prize from the College of Engineering
Jian’s research is focused on improving the efficiency of high-power electronics, which is important for energy security and sustainability.Al-Thaddeus Avestruz receives CAREER Award to advance sustainable energy storage
Using retired electric vehicle batteries, the project plans to enable widespread and equitable access to sustainable power and energy through sustainable energy storage.Optimizing the interactions between critical infrastructure systems for better flexibility, sustainability, and resiliency
PhD student Anna Stuhlmacher researches how the water distribution network can better provide services to the power network, which can allow for greater integration of renewable energy sources into the grid, reduce costs, and improve system resiliency.Batteryless next-generation cellular devices could empower a more sustainable future
PhD student Trevor Odelberg is looking to enable long range, highly reliable, and low-power cellular IoT devices that one day can run entirely on harvested energy, reducing battery waste and empowering devices to last for decades.New collaborative project for advancing energy justice in Detroit
In partnership with Detroit-based community organizations, Prof. Johanna Mathieu co-leads a team of researchers working to reduce disparities in household energy insecurity for low and moderate income households.Three members of ECE will represent U-M at the 2021 Rising Stars in EECS Workshop
PhD students Sijia Geng, Bahareh Hadidian, and Nasimeh Heydaribeni will participate in the intensive workshop that brings together outstanding women and gender minorities interested in pursuing academic careers in EECS.Solar cells with 30-year lifetimes for power-generating windows
High-efficiency but fragile molecules for converting light to electricity thrive with a little protection.Nanotech OLED electrode liberates 20% more light, could slash display power consumption
A five-nanometer-thick layer of silver and copper outperforms conventional indium tin oxide without adding cost.Tracking ocean microplastics from space
Satellites give new insights on the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, plus sources and flows of ocean microplastic.Artificial photosynthesis devices that improve themselves with use
"Our discovery is a real game-changer. I’ve never seen such stability."
$6.25 million to develop new semiconductors for artificial photosynthesis
An interdisciplinary team from four universities are developing a new class of semiconductors for novel artificial photosynthesis and the production of clean chemicals and fuels using sunlight, as part of a DoD MURI
DYNAMO achieves first observation of the “charge separation effect”
Research led by Prof. Stephen Rand, Director of the Center for Dynamic Magneto-optics (DYNAMO), has important potential for energy conversion, ultrafast switching, nanophotonics, and nonlinear optics.
U-M, community partners tackle energy insecurity in three Detroit neighborhoods
Johanna Mathieu is one of four principal investigators on a project to improve home energy efficiency and to lower monthly utility bills.
Podcast: Artificial photosynthesis for sustainable solar fuels
In S1E1, Prof. Zetian Mi talks unlocking quantum properties to close the loop on carbon emissions.
Coordination and collaboration are critical to U.S. leadership in plasma science: a Q&A with the Plasma 2020 Decadal Study co-chair
Plasma science has the potential to speed advances in medicine, energy, electronics and more—including helping us deal with pandemics.
Mirror-like photovoltaics get more electricity out of heat
By reflecting nearly all the light they can’t turn into electricity, they help pave the way for storing renewable energy as heat.
Urban solar energy: Solar panels for windows hit record 8% efficiency
Transparent solar panels on windows could take a bite out of a building’s electricity needs.
Johanna Mathieu receives 2020 Henry Russel Award
Mathieu is one of four U-M faculty members to receive this award, the university’s highest honor for early to mid-career facultyProfessors Jay Guo and Zetian Mi awarded MTRAC funding for research in autonomous and green vehicles
Guo is working to boost the visibility of autonomous cars for improved safety, and Mi is building a prototype solar hydrogen production system that could out-compete electric cars.
Making plastic more transparent while also adding electrical conductivity
Michigan Engineers change the game by making a conductive coating that’s also anti-reflective.
Russel Lecture: Fighting climate change with organic electronics
The researcher-entrepreneur who helped bring OLED displays to the masses envisions a future of efficient lighting and next-gen solar power.
Optimizing energy
Postdoc Fellow Shunbo Lei, who works to improve the efficiency and function of the power grid, was honored by the IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid.Leung Tsang elected to the National Academy of Engineering
A professor of electrical engineering and computer science is awarded one of engineering’s top honors.
‘Green methane’ from artificial photosynthesis could recycle CO2
A catalyst on a solar panel can make methane, the main component of natural gas, with carbon dioxide, water and sunlight.
Commission on Carbon Neutrality talks progress, environmental justice at town hall
Prof. Stephen Forrest, who serves as co-chair of the commission, attended the forum to address concerns and give updates on the plan of action.
Commission co-chairs: Climate change solutions need broad commitment
An update on the work done by U-M's Commission on Carbon Neutrality, co-chaired by Prof. Stephen Forrest.Can organic solar cells last – even into the next millennium? These might.
Finally, proof that organic photovoltaics can be as reliable as inorganic, with real-life desert testing
Electrify goes to Detroit
Electrify hosted its first Detroit Tech Camp at the Michigan Engineering Zone this summer to give Detroit-area students greater access to engage with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
New browser strategy game has players tackle real-life bat catastrophe
As a fungal infection ravages bat populations, the new game hopes to promote public awareness of ongoing research to combat the issue.
Prof. Kamal Sarabandi welcomes Emperor and Empress of Japan at IGARSS 2019
Predicting future disasters is an important goal of those participating in the IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium
The National Academy of Engineering invites Prof. Johanna Mathieu to symposium to advance the engineering frontier
The symposium brings together 82 young engineers from different technical areas from around the country.
Counting snowflakes for better water resource management
Mostafa Zaky has built an award-winning model that helps estimate the amount of water stored in snowpacks, which could improve climate change and flood forecasting, as well as overall water resource management.
Building community through clean energy
From Long Beach, CA, to a Nepalese national park and world heritage site, undergrads Ashley Gee and Camille Burke came away with unforgettable experiences and a greater appreciation for how engineering can change the world for the better.
New DOE project aims to convert a traditional engine into a hybrid OP engine with the help of control algorithms
A new project funded by ARPA-E partners Achates Power and the University of Michigan in the development of a novel hybrid electric engine.
Michigan Electric Racing Revs Up
This summer, Michigan Electric Racing will race their first all-electric car in Formula-style competitions they plan to win.
Md Salman Nazir works to improve the power grid and research papers
EECS-ECE PhD student Md Salman Nazir is recognized by the IEEE Transactions on Power Systems for his outstanding reviews of recent papers. He works at the Michigan Power and Energy Lab.
The Future is Carbon Neutral
Prof. Stephen Forrest is co-chair of U-M’s Commission on Carbon Neutrality as part of U-M’s commitment to combat climate change and craft a sustainable future for all.
Undergrad Michelle Gehner engineers better ways to explore new worlds
Gehner’s academic career includes advancing power electronics and crafting new extraterrestrial vehicles for MRover. She received the IEEE Power and Energy Society Scholarship for her promising future in power and energy.
A new $1.6M energy project to develop low cost manufacturing of white organic lighting
Prof. Stephen Forrest is developing an automated high-yield roll-to-roll process to manufacture organic LEDs for lighting.
New research for the future of sustainable power and energy
Take a look at some of the exciting new projects that will help define the next evolution of sustainable power and energy.Battery economics could power the future of energy
Prof. Johanna Mathieu of EECS and Prof. Catherine Hausman of Public Policy are heading a new project to explore the social costs and benefits of battery energy storage on the electrical grid.
Johanna Mathieu receives NSF CAREER Award to help build a smarter, more sustainable grid
Mathieu will develop optimization and control methods to leverage the flexibility available from distributed energy resources.
Johanna Mathieu receives Ernest and Bettine Kuh Distinguished Faculty Award
The award recognizes Mathieu’s outstanding teaching, research, and service in the area of power and energy.
$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.
A window into the future of solar power
Windows in the buildings of the future could double as efficient solar cells.
Photosynthesis and Clean Energy
Prof. Zetian Mi talks about a new way to create energy from the sun – borrowing from the idea of photosynthesis.
Blue Sky and Research Accelerator Initiatives fund solar fuel and high-power research
Blue Sky: Up to $10M toward research so bold, some of it just might fail
Inspired by startup funding models, Michigan Engineering reinvents its internal R&D grant structure.
Prof. Jason Corso on artificial intelligence
The most exciting use of AI for me focuses around a better collective use of our available resources, says Corso.
Stephanie Crocker Ross receives Rackham Predoctoral Fellowship
Dissertation recognized as unusually creative, ambitious and impactful.
Harvesting clean hydrogen fuel through artificial photosynthesis
New device doubles previous efficiency, opens path to commercial viability.
Huanting Huang and the mathematical shape of trees
An award-winning modeling method will help us better understand our natural environment
Organic solar cells reach record efficiency, benchmark for commercialization
The multi-layered organic solar cells will be able to curve in clothing or be transparently built into windows.
Sijia Geng awarded Towner Prize for Distinguished Academic Achievement
A PhD student in electrical engineering, Geng researches trajectory sensitivity and renewable energy in microgrids.
Game theory for electric vehicle charging
Professor Leung Tsang Receives 2018 Van de Hulst Award
Prof. Tsang is a world-renowned expert in the field of theoretical and computational electromagnetics, and in particular microwave remote sensing of the earth.Semiconductor breakthrough may be game-changer for organic solar cells
Buildings, clothing could generate power.
New biodegradable hydrogel offers eco-friendly alternative to synthetics
A water-absorbing hydrogel made from bacteria provides a safer soil solution.
Deep UV LEDs lead to two best poster awards at ISSLED 2017
New techniques to construct deep UV LEDs prove prize-worthy.
Using University of Michigan buildings as batteries
How a building’s thermal energy can help the power grid accommodate more renewable energy sources.
Two students earn scholarships to pursue work in sustainable energy
Two electrical engineering students, Paul Giessner and Noah Mitchell-Ward, were awarded scholarships from the Utility Variable-Generation Integration Group (UVIG) to support their education in wind and solar power.
Anna Stuhlmacher: Power to change the world
Anna Stuhlmacher, PhD in electrical engineering, is looking for ways to change the world through power and energy.
MICDE grant funds renewable power research
Prof. Mathieu is partnering with IOE faculty to improve the nation’s grid system
EE student Leonard Kapiloff earns PES scholarship to support studies in secure, sustainable grid
This $2000 scholarship recognizes outstanding students committed to exploring the power and energy field. Leonard wants to work in the energy industry towards a more sustainable and secure electric grid.
Solving the “Christmas light” problem so solar panels can handle shade
Just 10 percent shade cover can drop electricity production by 50 percent. A new U-M-led project aims to change that.
Solar power plant: $1.4M grant aims to cut costs
With the help of the grant, improved devices, in combination with a new coating from a U-M engineering lab, could make concentrated solar power cheaper and more efficient.
Michigan Solar Car defends national title in sweeping victory
The University of Michigan Solar Car team has successfully defended their championship – winning the 2016 American Solar Challenge for the sixth consecutive time.
Stephen Forrest Elected to National Academy of Sciences
Membership in the NAS is one of the highest distinctions for a scientist or engineer in the United States.
Google, U-M to build digital tools for Flint water crisis
CSE students and faculty will collaborate as a part of a larger team to help respond to the crisis.
Audrow Nash earns NSF Fellowship for unmanned aerial vehicle research
Audrow's research focuses on using coordinated groups of UAVs to continuously and autonomously survey biogas emissions in landfills.
Nobel Laureate Shuji Nakamura delivers Dow Distinguished Lecture (with video)
Prof. Nakamura is the 2014 Nobel Laureate in Physics for the invention of efficient blue light-emitting diodes, which enabled bright and energy-saving white light sources.
Genevieve Flaspohler selected for NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
Genevieve will continue her research in the MIT and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute joint program, pursuing a PhD in computer science with a focus in oceanography.
Students in EECS 418 rewarded for optimizing stop/start technology for auto applications
Stop/start is a new system being introduced into the North American automobile market to improve fuel economy while cutting down on pollution.
Using energy storage in an environmentally friendly way – Yashen Lin earns a Dow Sustainability Fellowship
The results of Lin’s research can help us better understand how introducing DES affects the environmental impact of a power system.
The economics of energy – Hamidreza Tavafoghi earns a Dow Sustainability Fellowship
Hamid is studying ways to increase the use of renewable energy sources on the grid.
Stephanie Crocker earns NSF Graduate Research Fellowship to bring sustainable energy to the grid
Stephanie seeks to provide continuous energy balancing on the grid by automatically controlling loads.
Stephen Forrest receives 2015 Distinguished University Innovator Award
Prof. Forrest is widely acknowledged as one of the most successful academic inventors and entrepreneurs today.
The future of solar: $1.3M to advance organic photovoltaics
The grant is aimed at advancing organic photovoltaics, a carbon-based version of solar technology that promises to change the way the sun’s energy is collected.
New approaches to solar cell technology featured in Sustainability Hour
The professors addressed two very different problems the industry faces with current technology.
Prof. Robert Dick to apply cyber information to air quality management
The grant is part of a new $12.5M initiative by the National Science Foundation to encourage computing innovations for a sustainable society.
Prof. Johanna Mathieu working to bring power from sustainable sources to your home
Mathieu is working how best to integrate wind and solar power into the nation’s established electrical grid system.
Kyu-Tae Lee wins Best Poster Award for colorful solar cells
Jessy Grizzle named Elmer G. Gilbert Distinguished University Professor
Prof. Grizzle is an internationally renowned researcher in the area of control systems.
Jiangfeng Wu receives Best Paper Award for research in safe fracking
The Mikio Takagi Student Prize is given to the top three Student Prize Paper Awards granted at the IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium.
New research program to investigate optical energy conversion
The fundamental objective of the research initiative is to uncover, explain, and exploit dynamic magneto-optical processes and materials for new technological capabilities.
Kathryn Clay: A policy leader in the natural gas revolution
Kathryn believes the country would benefit greatly if more scientific and technically trained people went into journalism or science policy.
Keravnos Energy wants to make fast electric vehicle charging economical
The idea behind Keravnos Energy is for there to be an energy transfer between three entities: the building, a large stationary battery, and the car.
Transparent color solar cells fuse energy, beauty
The cells, believed to be the first semi-transparent, colored photovoltaics, have the potential to vastly broaden the use of the energy source.
‘Photon glue’ enables a new quantum mechanical state
Researchers at the University of Michigan and Queens College used light to create links between organic and inorganic semiconductors in an optical cavity.
Jinyoung Hwang receives Best Poster Award for research leading to improved solar cells
The researchers succeeded in drastically suppressing the thermal emission rate in GaSb/GaAs quantum dots — resulting in more efficient solar cells.
New research program aims to make better “sense” of the world
Applications of this research range from soil sensors which allow for increased understanding of global climate change to futuristic sensory skins which can monitor the integrity of an object.
Modernizing the nation’s electric grid for alternative energy
“We are proposing an integrated solution that will combine the construction of well-positioned storage facilities that will route excess energy to where it needs to be.”
Colored solar cells could make display screens more efficient
Professor Jay Guo has developed the reflective photovoltaic color filter device that can convert absorbed light to electricity.
Connor Field — Growing energy on a solar farm
“Energy will be the major concern in the United States for my generation,” Connor says. “Now is the time to research and invest in the technologies that will power our future.”
New equation could advance research in solar cells
A groundbreaking new equation could do for organic semiconductors what the Shockley ideal diode equation did for inorganic semiconductors.Soil moisture study aims for climate change insights
Moghaddam will oversee the design and fabrication of the AirMOSS instrument, a high-powered, low-frequency radar that NASA/JPL collaborators will build for the project.
Prof. Hiskens receives stim money for wind energy
The grant is to be used to develop new techniques for assessing the impact of wind generation on power system voltage control and transient stability.