Today

In the tour, students learnt what it means to "cogenerate." Cogeneration is the simultaneous generation of two or more types of energy from a single fuel source. Through cogeneration, the plant generates electrical and thermal power simultaneously by utilizing the waste heat from a 20-megawatt gas turbine to generate steam. This technology is approximately 18% more efficient and reduces emissions by 45% compared to the technology it replaced. The gas turbine uses primarily natural gas (and occasionally distillate and heavy fuel oil). The facility provides electricity, steam heat, and chilled water (air conditioning) to more than 100 MIT buildings.



Since one of the teams in the studio is designing and building a solar-powered scooter, we also visited the shop of the



At the shop, the students examined the base chassis of Eleanor. The students were impressed by the lightweight frame that does 90 mph on the road and is packed with technology that will eventually make its way to hybrids and EVs we will see on the roads ourselves. The MIT Solar Electric Vehicle Team draws on a broad range of technical knowledge from all fields of engineering and science and is dedicated to promoting alternatively powered vehicles.