Energy Production

Is it possible to generate electricity directly from heat? Thermocouples do it, with no moving parts.

Charcoal is carbon. Activated charcoal is charcoal that has been treated with oxygen to open up millions of tiny pores between the carbon atoms. What does this have to do with its absorbancy?

One way to store energy is to use a battery, but what other ways can we store energy? Learn about different ways to store energy at HowStuffWorks.

By Yara Simón

Let's say you have a nice fire going, and it's reduced down to a pit of hot "glowing embers." If you now toss a piece of wood, or even a sheet of paper, onto this fire, you see a huge puff of smoke as it heats up.

An oscilloscope measures the voltage and frequency of an electric signal. A machine uses "sweeps" and and an input signal. See how it all comes together.

You've probably seen solar panels on satellites, call boxes, road signs, homes and businesses. But how do solar panels work?

By Scott Aldous & Talon Homer

OK, so volts measure the potential for energy to travel and ohms measure the resistance to the electrical flow, but what are amps and watts?

By Dave Roos

On the Flintstones, a small bird sits inside the light and turns it on every night before he goes to bed. In a modern streetlight, a small circuit replaces the bird.

Electrical power is a little bit like the air you breathe: You don't really think about it until it is missing. There are good reasons the power grid distribution system works the way it does, though it can lead to some big problems.

By Marshall Brain & Dave Roos

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.

By Jonathan Strickland

Despite the best efforts of disaster prevention crews, oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill affected creatures and plants both on land and in the water. Is it possible to know the entire environmental impact of the spill?

By Jonathan Strickland

People all over the world are working on turning this very ancient power source into an even more important modern one. And that means a lot more than dams.

By John Perritano

You may remember the blackout that occurred on Aug. 14, 2003. It was the biggest in U.S. history. And just like every major blackout, it raised a lot of questions about how the power-distribution system works.

By Marshall Brain & Julia Layton

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.

By Sidney Soclof

Manhole covers have been blasting out of the ground in New York City. Find out what causes these strange explosions and how powerful they really are.

By Kevin Bonsor

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.

By Kevin Bonsor

Could the source of Earth's future energy come from an ambitious idea to encircle the sun with technology? Maybe, but it's a concept that's a long way from today's reality.

By Nathan Chandler

There's no question that people are interested in solar energy. The problem has been how to store it. Could the much-hyped Powerwall home battery change that scenario?

By Nicholas Gerbis

The ever-changing price of a barrel of oil has a lot to do with what we pay for gasoline at the pump. But do you know the four major factors that contribute to the price of oil?

By Patrick E. George

Could solar cells be the asphalt of the 21st century?

By Patrick E. George & Cherise Threewitt

For decades, we've depended on an outdated, centralized power system that wastes power and occasionally fails to meet everyone's needs. The idea of a localized power grid, or microgrid, might just be the change we need.

By Robert Lamb

Though a highly publicized 1989 cold fusion breakthrough was subsequently discredited, research is still being conducted in hopes of future success.

By Patrick J. Kiger

Move over corn and soybeans, there's a better biofuel in town. And this one grows in abundance at the bottom of the ocean.

By Diane Kim, Ignacio Navarrete & Jessica Dutton

The energy choices we make today have a huge impact on the generations that follow. In this article you will explore 5 energy choices for a sustainable future.

By Jane McGrath

The explosion and fire that destroyed the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico in April 2010 killed 11 crew members and triggered an environmental nightmare.

By Patrick J. Kiger