VIDEO: Recognizing that energy is at the heart of many of the world's economic, environmental and political tribulations, Stanford is establishing a $100 million research institute to focus intently on energy issues.

Tagged: energy, Precourt Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability, On Campus, Earth Sciences, Engineering, Humanities & Sciences

Recent research indicates that the energy alternatives that are getting the most attention are between 25 to 1,000 times more polluting than the best available options.

Tagged: energy, wind power, Environment & Sustainability

Precious metal catalysts, which speed up chemical reactions, are good for the environment and industry—and they could enable huge improvements in our energy supply in the future—but they are rare and expensive. By exploring ways to reduce, if not replace, the need for these metals, chemical engineering Professor Stacey Bent is trying to lessen the number of greenbacks required to be green.

Tagged: energy, nanotechnology, Environment & Sustainability, Engineering

Stanford professors are pursuing innovative ideas to reduce the financial and environmental footprint of future computers. This includes making a very efficient general use processor, and investigating how to slash the cost of creating energy-efficient application specific integrated circuits (ASICs).

Tagged: chips, computers, electricity, energy, Environment & Sustainability, Engineering

While architects, engineers, and builders often try to make buildings more energy efficient, they need better tools and technologies to succeed. Hoping to help, Professors Goldsmith, Fischer, and Haymaker have each launched research projects sponsored by Stanford’s Precourt Institute for Energy Efficiency (PIEE) aimed at developing just such tools and technologies.

Tagged: conservation, energy, Precourt Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability, Engineering

A day after the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded for efforts to publicize and fight global warming, panelists speaking at the annual Roundtable at Stanford pointed to the university's and the nation's responsibility to combat what President John Hennessy called "the problem of our time."

Tagged: climate change, energy, Middle East, Environment & Sustainability, International Issues

Jerry Yang and Akiko Yamazaki joined President Hennessy at the dedication of the Y2E2 Building, which will bring together researchers from all of the university's seven schools into one energy-efficient building to work together on environmental issues.

Tagged: alumni, conservation, energy, Y2E2, Environment & Sustainability, On Campus, Earth Sciences, Engineering, Humanities & Sciences

Smart Energy, a video blog by Stanford professor, Margot Gerritsen, delves into the issues raised by our increasingly energy-hungry world through interviews with leading scientists, engineers and policy makers.

Tagged: conservation, energy, Environment & Sustainability, Earth Sciences

Rosamond Naylor and Walter Falcon confront the global food crisis, urging the United States to alter its current policies on biofuels, international food aid and agricultural research.

Tagged: biofuels, conservation, economics, energy, food, poverty, Environment & Sustainability, Human Health, Earth Sciences, Faculty