The centerpiece of this collaboration will be the Solar Frontiers research program which will focus on the development of advanced solar technologies. Through this agreement, Eni will also become a founding member of the MIT Energy Initiative (Mitei), supporting a portfolio of diverse energy research projects at the institute.
Total funding for the partnership will be $50 million over five years. Of that amount, $25 million will be used to establish the Eni-Mitei Solar Frontiers research program. The remainder will support Eni’s founding membership in Mitei.
As a founding member of Mitei, Eni will also support a range of other research projects at the institute spanning the energy spectrum from traditional oil and gas to methane hydrates to global change to transportation options. This portfolio will include a large research project in multi-scale reservoir science for enhanced oil recovery.
The Eni-Mitei Solar Frontiers research program will focus on nano-structured thin film photovoltaics, luminescent solar concentrators, water splitting, materials for solar energy capture and storage and maximizing the return on investment for solar thermal plants.
