Energy Systems of the Future
Our current energy system is a potent contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions.
The Boston University Institute for Global Sustainability (IGS) is pursuing research that investigates clean, affordable, accessible systems and advises the energy industry, regulators, and policymakers on the wide-ranging changes needed to meet ambitious climate goals. Research topics focus on both supply and demand, including renewables, energy storage, efficient heating and cooling technologies, electric vehicles and mobility transitions, distributed energy systems, energy access, clean cooking fuels, and more.
The following research is authored by IGS executive leadership, faculty associate directors, and core faculty.
‘A Dead Sea of Solar Panels:’ Solar Enclosure, Extractivism and the Progressive Degradation of the California desert
IGS Research | The Journal of Peasant Studies, September 10, 2024 Read more
New Database by IGS Researchers Reveals Inequities in Exposure to Energy Infrastructure
A team of IGS and School of Public Health researchers are uncovering energy exposure hotspots and setting the stage for Read more
Nonintrusive Thermal-Wave Sensor for Operando Quantification of Degradation in Commercial Batteries
IGS Research | Nature Communications, December 11, 2023 Read more
Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics Modeling of Electrodeposition and Dendritic Growth Under Migration-and Diffusion-Controlled Mass Transport
IGS Research | Journal of Electrochemical Energy Conversion and Storage, November 2023 Read more
Left in the Dark: Colonial Racial Capitalism and Solar Energy Transitions in India
IGS Research | Energy Research & Social Science, November 2023 Read more
Fossil Fuel Racism: The Ongoing Burden of Oil and Gas Development in the Shadows of Regulatory Inaction
IGS Research | American Journal of Public Health, November 2023 Read more
Trusting Clean Energy: Novel Perspectives on Transition Pathways for Coal Phaseouts and Clean Electrification Phase-ins
IGS Research | The Electricity Journal, August–September 2023 Read more
Prospective on Methods of Design of Experiments for Limited Data Scenarios in Materials Design and Engineering
IGS Research | MRS Communications, September 13, 2023 Read more
A Learning by Doing Multiplier Accelerates the Transition to Photovoltaic Cells
IGS Research | Journal of Climate Finance, September 2023 Read more
Social Implications of Energy Infrastructure Digitalisation and Decarbonisation
IGS Research | Buildings & Cities, August 18, 2023 Read more