Game changers : energy on the move : five R & D efforts from American universities that are offering a cheaper, cleaner, and more secure national energy system

It is becoming increasingly obvious that the United States needs reliable and inexpensive energy to propel our economy and protect our national security interests. Game Changers presents five research and development efforts from American universities that offer a cheaper, cleaner, and more secure national energy system. Drawing from the efforts of the MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI) and other leading university research centers, the book describes some of the energy innovations that will transform our future: natural gas from shales, solar photovoltaics, grid-scale electricity storage, electric cars, and LED lighting. For each of these innovations, the authors detail what is available today, what is near at hand, and what is on the horizon. In addition, they show how extreme energy reliability and performance demands put the United States military at the leading edge of driving energy innovations, and survey potentially game-changing energy technologies currently being put into use by the U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force, on base and in forward deployment. The more choices our laboratories put on the table, the less constrained we are in using them to reach the things we really care about—health, family, business, culture, faith, and delight. This is what game changers are ultimately about. "The United States needs reliable and inexpensive energy to propel our economy and protect our national security interests. Game Changers presents five research and development efforts from US universities that offer a cheaper, cleaner, and more secure national energy system. Drawing from the efforts of Stanford, MIT, and other leading university research centers, the book describes some of the innovations that are transforming our energy landscape: natural gas from shale, solar photovoltaics, grid-scale electricity storage, electric cars, and LED lighting. For each innovation, the authors detail the fruits of individual research and development projects that are available today, near at hand, or on the horizon. They also show how extreme energy reliability and performance demands have put the US military at the leading edge of driving energy innovations and survey potentially game-changing energy technologies being used by the US Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force on bases and in forward deployments"--Publisher's description