Featured Article: What is the Strategic Petroleum Reserve?
In salt caverns that dot the Gulf Coast, the U.S. government stores a secret weapon -- an enormous reserve of crude oil. Why do we keep so much oil sitting around? See more »
energy production library
The greatest need modern civilizations have is energy. Learn about oil, electricity and newer forms of energy like solar and wind power.
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Articles 1-20 of 32
5 Most Coveted Offshore Petroleum Reserves
Laws, treaties and the limits of human technology have kept some petroleum reserves just beyond the reach of oil companies. So where are they dying to drill?
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How AC FOX Works
Manufacturers -- whether they make corn ethanol fuel, biodiesel fuel, pancake syrup or even frozen pizza -- produce waste and polluted water. Now there's a completely new process called Activated Carbon Facilitated Oxidation, or AC FOX that can handle water that is polluted with organic material. Learn all about AC FOX.
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How ANWR Works
If it weren't for the billions of barrels of oil estimated to lie within its borders, you might never have heard of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. But this protected corner of Alaska has generated more controversy than its vast, arctic acres co
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How Blackouts Work
Just like every major blackout, the August 14th power failure raised a lot of questions about our power distribution system. Find out how any number of events can turn out the lights for millions of people.
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How Circuits Work
Have you ever wondered what happens when you flip a switch to turn something on? You're completing an electric circuit, allowing a current, or flow of electrons, through the wires.
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How did Nikola Tesla change the way we use energy?
Who made it possible to light up your home at night? Thomas Edison, right? Yes, but without the work of Nikola Tesla, we would be living in a different world.
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How do facilities store hazardous waste?
Hazardous waste disposal is an ongoing struggle that's monitored by the EPA. How is meant to be disposed of, and what happens when something goes wrong?
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How Gasoline Works
Without gasoline, the world as we know it would grind to a screeching halt. The U.S. alone consumes well over a hundred billion gallons of gasoline per year. Learn all about this vital fuel.
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How Hydropower Plants Work
The basic idea isn't new, but the process of modern hydropower conversion is high-tech. Today's hydropower plants are some of the coolest machines ever constructed. Find out how rushing water generates power.
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How Offshore Drilling Works
Drilling down thousands of feet in lightless ocean depths and transporting that oil to the surface without spilling it isn't exactly easy. Did we mention the rough seas?
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How Oil Drilling Works
Bubblin' crude. Black gold. Texas tea. Whatever you call it, oil is a valuable commodity. Finding and extracting it is a fascinating process. Find out all about modern oil exploration and drilling.
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How Oil Refining Works
A recent fire at a New York oil refinery pumped clouds of black smoke into the city skyline. Despite the dangers, oil refineries are essential to society in its current form. Learn how crude oil is converted into everything from butane to gasoline.
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How Plasma Converters Work
In "Back to the Future," Doc Brown throws garbage into Mr. Fusion, powering his time machine. We might be closer than you think to generating electricity for our homes using trash.
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How Power Grids Work
Last week's massive power failure illustrated a major problem inherent in the standard electricity distribution system. Learn all about the technology at the heart of this story.
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How Solar Cells Work
Solar cells use sunlight to produce electricity. But what happens on a cloudy day? Learn all about solar cells and what it would take to power your entire house with solar energy.
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Inside a Power-Cube Transformer
You've probably never noticed how many of these you use everyday, but HowStuffWorks took the time to count them and take them apart to see what's inside!
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Oil Shale Quiz
Oil drilling, though difficult, is pretty simple when compared to oil shale extraction. Getting oil shale, solidified oil trapped inside rock, to the surface is currently more expensive and environmentally harmful than conventional drilling. How much do you know about this potential fuel source trapped beneath the Earth's crust?
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Solar Cell Quiz
Solar cells are on everything from pocket calculators to the roofs of buildings. So exactly how do they turn light into energy?
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What are amps, watts, volts and ohms?
OK, correct me if I'm wrong, but as I understand it, volts measure the potential for energy to travel and ohms measure the resistance to the electrical flow, but then what are amps and watts?
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What is the Strategic Petroleum Reserve?
In salt caverns that dot the Gulf Coast, the U.S. government stores a secret weapon -- an enormous reserve of crude oil. Why do we keep so much oil sitting around?
See more »- 1
- 2
Articles 1-20 of 32
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