Energy Production

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

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

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For decades, we've depended on an outdated, centralized power system that wastes power and occasionally fails to meet everyone's needs.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

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

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

When gas prices shoot through the roof, alternative technologies start to look even more interesting. This one uses heat to create energy, and all we really need is the sun.

By Jane McGrath

If oil shale can decrease U.S. dependence on foreign nations for oil, why aren't we making it yet? We're caught between a rock and a hard, geopolitical place.

By Josh Clark

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.

By Craig Freudenrich, Ph.D.

How can water cut through steel? A device called a waterjet uses extreme force to cut through all sorts of things.

The Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster has generated renewed interest in the way we search for oil. What methods do we use to find and extract this commodity from the Earth?

By Craig Freudenrich, Ph.D. & Jonathan Strickland

If you've ever seen a geyser letting off steam or witnessed a fuming volcano simmering under pressure, you know that the interior of the Earth is really hot. So where does all that heat come from, and is there any way to harness it?

By Stephanie Watson

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?

By Robert Lamb & Desiree Bowie

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?

By Robert Lamb

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

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

For all our hand-wringing over the oil supply, it might shock you to realize that the solution to our dependence on fossil fuels lies right under our feet.

By Dave Roos

Until recently, natural gas was thought of as one of the cleanest fossil fuels. Yet new studies say it may be worse for the ozone layer than coal -- a fuel well-known for its harmful emissions.

By Danielle Fisher

When it comes to looking to the energy source that will replace fossil fuels, there are no shortage of options.

By Talal Al-Khatib

From corn to solar power, scientists have been searching every crevice of the Earth to find reliable sources of alternative energy. Could lightning be the answer?

By Alexander Davies