Most Americans know hydrogen as being a key ingredient in water, H2O. Of the many chemical elements on the periodic table, hydrogen is the lightest element, while it’s also estimated to comprise up to 90 percent of the visible universe. With its simplicity and unfathomable abundance, might hydrogen be an overlooked…
Since oil was first discovered near Titusville, Pennsylvania over 100 years ago, petroleum has become arguably the most essential natural resource for the United State’s economy past and present. From its development as an energy source, fuel for vehicles, and as a key component in everything from plastics and tires to…
The solar energy striking the Earth at a given moment is more than the entire world’s energy usage in a year. Solar power’s massive energy potential has opened the door to to utility-scale electricity generation all the way down to rooftop power for individual homes. Yet solar panel efficiency and…
Coastal tides are a naturally occurring process caused by the moon’s gravitational pull on the oceans of the world. In the U.S., tidal changes vary wildly from coast to coast, with the highest tidal range in Anchorage, Alaska spanning up to forty feet. While the natural movement of water flowing…
Wind generation on land is affected by several factors, such as the topography of the surrounding area, temperature, competing land uses, and human activity. Due to the unevenness and diversity of topographical areas in the U.S., certain areas are not able to harness large amounts of wind energy. Mountainous areas, as…
Going Nuclear Irradiated landscapes, poisoned water supplies, the ubiquitous gas masks donned by radiation cleaners in the Chernobyl HBO series: these are the images that come to mind for many when hearing about nuclear power. Needless to say, this dramatized picture of Soviet infrastructure is a far cry from the true…
When policymakers and ordinary people hear the words “natural gas”, the common picture is a highly flammable gas pulled from the ground in a carbon intensive and environmentally stressful process. They may also associate it with the terms exhaustible and fossil fuel. However, that same gas that is pumped from…
Windy days may be a welcome change from summer heat or a warning of the calm before the storm. Whatever its impact, it is almost always there in the background of our lives. Wind has been a great renewable energy resource for centuries and may only be getting better. Not…
The ground we walk on is covered with asphalt for roads, concrete for sidewalks, and is naturally decorated with grass, flowers, shrubs, and trees. Intermingled within are telephone polls, electricity wires, buildings, and other structures requiring power. We all understand that natural organisms have roots that ground them…
The power pulsing into your home right now probably comes courtesy of an antiquated system of power plants and transmission lines thought up while horse and buggies were still common on the streets. Even with the advent of the Internet age, we largely still use this one-way power network, and…
The Novel Coronavirus (nCoV) or COVID-19 is in the process of reshaping the order of things at home and abroad. As we all react to the spread of the virus, there are many obvious considerations – groceries, work, event cancelations, hand washing, and apparently toilet paper. But a less obvious…
Miami University, a public research university located in the small city of Oxford, OH, has been making unprecedented progress in the field of geothermal energy. Up until 2010, Miami had relied on carbon-intensive steam to heat almost all buildings on its 2,100 acre campus. Currently, 49 percent of those buildings…
While power is back on at the Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson airport, the question remains: what happened to make the busiest airport in the world lose power for 11 hours on Sunday and strand tens of thousands of passengers for days?[1] Basically, an electrical fire in a tunnel beneath the airport…
Aii Founder and Chairman, Brigham McCown, was privileged to speak to the students and faculty at the Schar School of Policy and Government and Scalia Law School at George Mason University on the importance of grid security and maintaining our infrastructure. Covering both policy and technical issues to energy policy,…
On July 12, we published “Building a Smarter Electric Grid: How Investing in Smarter Electricity Infrastructure Will Energize America,” a white-paper focused on the opportunities presented by a “smarter” electric network and the specific investments that should be made to take full advantage of tomorrow’s energy technologies without sacrificing the…
