Hockfield, Obama urge major push in clean energy research funding

March 22, 2009

Above: President Hockfield speaks at the White House, 3/23/2009.

Hockfield said that the kinds of new breakthroughs likely to be spawned by this federal investment in R&D are exemplified by a variety of projects already under way at MIT. These include innovations that could turn windows into efficient, cost-effective solar cells, new materials that make batteries long-lasting, safe and rapidly charging, "quantum dot" light bulbs that are 500 percent more efficient than incandescent bulbs, and methods for using benign viruses to make clear, non-toxic, lightweight batteries.

Hockfield said that in addition to the economic impact of these research funds, "these same investments also offer the only route to the breakthrough technologies required to address the daunting challenges of energy security, rapidly accelerating energy demand and climate change. And, as an added bonus, solving these challenges has captured the imaginations and ambitions of young people -- students at MIT and across the country, young scientists and engineers passionately committed to inventing a bright, clean energy future."

A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on April 1, 2009 (download PDF).

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