Natural gas has become the fossil fuel of choice in the last decade as energy producers shift towards less environmentally-impactful fuels. The U.S. today produces almost all of the natural gas that it uses. Investments into fracking technology allowed massive upticks in production in the U.S. and current innovations promise…
Renewable energy sources have received significant amounts of investment in recent years as combating climate change becomes a higher priority. Sunlight, the movement of water, and the natural movement of wind all have been harnessed to generate energy. Most of these systems work by harnessing the heat or kinetic energy…
The U.S. has a diverse and proven supply of several types of fossil fuels that can be used to power the national grid. Coal, natural gas, and petroleum all have been used to power American homes, heat and cool buildings, and power vehicles for over a century. Since the Industrial…
Hydropower has been used for hundreds of years at small scales to power windmills on farms but has massive potential to provide commercial electricity for entire cities and parts of the country. Hydroelectric dams can either harness the power of fast-flowing rivers or release a large amount of water that…
Nuclear energy has long been a technology that most associate with large, expensive reactors that cost billions to build. However, nuclear power can generate massive amounts of energy with zero carbon emissions. The costs to build nuclear plants have skyrocketed even though nuclear power generation in the U.S. peaked in…
Petroleum has long been used to power vehicles, heat homes, and facilitate travel across the U.S. As climate change becomes a more pressing issue, oil extraction and associated petroleum products have come under scrutiny for the heavy impact on the environment. Of particular concern is the process of fracking, which…
Solar energy continues to be utilized by homeowners to decrease their energy bills in regions of the U.S. with lots of sunlight. The two main types of solar power – photovoltaic (PV) and concentrated solar power (CSP) – generated 88 billion kilowatt hours (kWh) in 2020. Solar panels have become…
The current bout of inflation afflicting the U.S. is most notable for its impact on gasoline prices across the country. Consumers are paying nearly 50 percent more to fill up their tanks in 2022 year over year, and consumer attention has fallen on the strained supply of multiple types of…
The Northeast Corridor (NEC) is an electrified railroad line that is the busiest passenger rail in the United States. A ride on an Amtrak train from Boston to Washington D.C. covers almost 440 miles and makes stops in New York City, Philadelphia, and Baltimore. This transportation network supports the Northeast…
The international shipping industry facilitates the movement of millions of products between continents in a matter of weeks. Massive container ships today are so large that they require their own unit (measured in twenty-foot equivalent units or TEUs), and with their significant freight capacity, they form the backbone of the…
The current energy crisis has seen gasoline prices rise to all-time highs across the country. Around the world, many countries’ ability to meet their energy needs through imports has also been called into question as markets respond to Russia’s war in Ukraine and environmental regulations and policy priorities limiting exploration,…
Vacuuming your house to be rid of dust can be quite a chore. Dirt and dust seem to accumulate faster than you can keep up. Yet, ever since the first vacuum was invented in 1908, larger and more powerful vacuums have made cleaning household carpets and factory floors far easier….
Across the U.S., underground utilities occupy space at different depths. Many factors influence the depth you may find these pipes, cables, and wires, such as the local landscape, population density, and importantly, the regional climate. Due to regional climate variations within the U.S., these modern roots must be protected from…
In any natural landscape, a wide variety of vegetation have different root networks belowground. The same is true for the Modern Roots that deliver water, Internet, and much more to all different types of structures. The utilities that run beneath our feet are buried at different depths depending on a…
Beneath our households, sidewalks, and backyards, a hidden network of utilities enables a multitude of services to be delivered to consumers, like roots to a tree. Across the U.S., there are more than 20 million miles of underground utility infrastructure. These range from municipal sewer lines to privately-owned telecommunications lines…
