Bosch, MIT collaborate on energy conservation, storage

Robert Bosch LLC is collaborating with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in a new energy research initiative to explore new materials and concepts for energy conversion and energy storage systems.

Specifically, Bosch has become a Sustaining Member of the MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI) with the commitment of five million dollars over five years. Bosch's financial contribution will fund a research portfolio at MIT based on energy efficiency and renewable energy research projects, and will also support 10 "Bosch-MIT Energy Fellows" – graduate students who will conduct research in various energy disciplines. In addition, Bosch will also have a seat on the MITEI governing board, according to the company.

This new partnership is part of Bosch's commitment to the development of energy efficient technologies and continues the company’s heritage of developing technologies that can be used in the manufacture of vehicles.

"We are extremely excited about this new collaboration with one of the world's truly unique corporations," adds Professor Ernest Moniz, director of MITEI. "Bosch is both a diversified technology company and a major contributor to global humanitarian causes. Much of its technology development is focused on improving the environment. We hope that the pairing of Bosch's global reach and commitment with the expertise of MIT's faculty and researchers will help meet the world's energy and environmental challenges and contribute to a clean, affordable energy future."

The MITEI-Bosch collaboration will focus on three areas:

1. The atomistic modeling and computational search for new materials in electrochemical energy storage and electromechanical actuation.
2. Nano-structured thermoelectric materials for residential heat and electricity cogeneration.
3. Ultra-efficient thin-film solar cells.

For more information, visit www.boschautoparts.com.