Direct Current - An Energy.gov Podcast
Environment
Direct Current is a podcast about energy -- the kind that lights our homes, powers our lives and shapes our world. From the U.S. Department of Energy's digital team in Washington, D.C., Direct Current brings you fresh, insightful stories of how we generate and use electricity, what that means for the planet, and the cutting-edge science that's driving a global energy revolution.
Location:
United States
Description:
Direct Current is a podcast about energy -- the kind that lights our homes, powers our lives and shapes our world. From the U.S. Department of Energy's digital team in Washington, D.C., Direct Current brings you fresh, insightful stories of how we generate and use electricity, what that means for the planet, and the cutting-edge science that's driving a global energy revolution.
Twitter:
@energy
Language:
English
Email:
directcurrent@hq.doe.gov
Episodes
S4 E5: End of Year Chat with Secretary Jennifer Granholm
12/20/2023
Join us for an energizing conversation with Secretary Jennifer Granholm, focused on the Department of Energy’s 2023 accomplishments and the progress of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda. From shaping the future of transportation to creating thousands of good-paying clean energy jobs. With historic investments in our electric grid to deliver reliable, affordable, clean power to all Americans, including in rural and underserved communities. DOE is focused on a just clean energy economy, ensuring that this historic transition lifts up the most vulnerable among us. Find out how the Investing in America agenda is helping everyday Americans and more on this episode of Direct Current.
Duration:00:38:36
S4 E4: 70 Years of Atoms for Peace
12/8/2023
70 years ago, President Dwight D. Eisenhower went before the United Nations and delivered a speech unlike anything the world had ever heard. The president spoke in sweeping terms about the terrible destructive power of new atomic weapons. But he also had a message for the assembly, one with a more optimistic tone: Join us in harnessing the power of the atom for good — not evil. From the dawn of the atomic age, nuclear power branched into two distinct paths: nuclear energy, and nuclear weapons. A chain reaction of historical events would lead down one path to the creation and eventual detonation of the world’s first atomic weapons in 1945. Down the other path, work forged ahead on peaceful uses of nuclear power. Join us on a trip through nuclear history, from "Atoms for Peace" to today.
Duration:00:25:22
S4 E3: Fully Charged: How Batteries Are Combating the Climate Crisis, Part 1
10/17/2023
The first of two episodes, we’re going under the hood to take a look at something these EVs all share in common — a battery. Where do they come from? How do they work? And how the U.S. is working to meet the demand for millions of batteries for EVs, grid storage, and more.
Duration:00:12:32
The Manhattan Project, Part 2 (REBROADCAST)
7/20/2023
The conclusion of our two part story on the Manhattan Project. We take you to the Trinity site where the first bomb was tested and then follow the Airmen as they drop the first ever atomic bombs. Later, learn about the creation of the Department of Energy and how, along with the National Park Service, we're preserving the origins of nuclear power and weaponry.
Duration:00:36:30
The Manhattan Project, Part 1 (REBROADCAST)
7/20/2023
The first of two episodes that tell the story of an unprecedented, U.S. government effort to beat Nazi Germany in the race to construct a nuclear weapon, the dawn of the atomic age, and how that legacy is being preserved.
Duration:00:35:27
S4 E2: The Extremes of Weather in a Changing Climate
7/6/2023
In this second episode of season 4 of Direct Current, we dive into a topic that’s been in the news a lot lately: extreme weather. While intense storms have splashed across headlines throughout history, the frequency seems to be increasing. Interviews with Colin Zarzycki, an Assistant Professor at Penn State University, and Alan Rhoades, a research scientist with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, help us explain how climate modeling is helping scientists predict what may lie ahead.
Duration:00:18:15
S4 E1: Keeping the Lights on in Ukraine
5/3/2023
Season 4 of Direct Current opens with a race against the clock, as the Department of Energy and National Labs join forces with industry and international partners to get emergency shipments of electrical grid components to Ukraine — before Russian attacks plunge the country into darkness.
Duration:00:18:34
Who Cares About Quantum? (Season 4 Teaser)
2/22/2023
"Quantum" is everywhere these days — in the news, on TV, in the titles of blockbuster action films — but what even is it? Why is it important to understand it? Basically... who cares about quantum?
To find out, we got philosophical with National Lab quantum scientists Anna Grassellino and David Awschalom about their brain-bending research, the massive impacts it could have on our lives, and the joy and frustration of chasing breakthroughs that can take decades to arrive.
Also: Season 4 of Direct Current is coming soon! Subscribe today wherever you get your podcasts to get a fresh delivery of energy audio goodness in your feed when it drops in spring 2023. Don't miss it!
Duration:00:14:22
People Powered: Chris Castro, Director of Sustainability
8/4/2022
For years, Chris Castro worked tirelessly to bring a brighter future to the city of Orlando, Florida. We heard from the (now-former) director of sustainability about how he got his start, his passion for clean energy, and the city's resilience efforts.
Duration:00:20:13
SPECIAL FEATURE: The Name Change Initiative
6/17/2022
From Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's podcast "A Day in the Half-Life" comes this episode about the challenges facing scientists who transition to a new identity — and efforts to get transgender researchers proper credit for their published work.
Duration:00:33:35
People Powered: Conrad Flowers, Lead Interconnection Engineer
4/13/2022
Conrad Flowers wanted a more fulfilling career, so he followed his passion and took a job in solar energy. Now he’s connecting solar farms to the electric grid and helping train the next generation of engineers.
Duration:00:18:57
People Powered: AlexAnna Salmon, Village Council President
2/17/2022
AlexAnna Salmon is a fierce advocate for her home, a remote Alaskan town called Igiugig. As village council president, she's working to preserve her tribe's traditional way of life amid a warming climate and a shift from fossil fuels to clean energy.
Duration:00:24:28
People Powered: Gaby Ibarra, Building Energy Analyst
1/21/2022
Our series highlighting workers in clean energy continues! Gaby Ibarra, a first-generation college student and daughter of immigrants, shares her journey into a new career helping modernize heating and cooling systems for old buildings in New York City.
Duration:00:18:16
People Powered: Michael Flores, Wind Technician
12/21/2021
In the latest episode of "People Powered," our new series on clean energy careers, wind technician Michael Flores shares what it's like to travel the country and scale 300-foot wind turbines for a living — and why he's sticking with wind for the long run.
People Powered: Kaly Moore, Solar Construction Manager
11/29/2021
Presenting "People Powered," a new series on clean energy careers! There are millions of good-paying jobs in energy, and we'll be introducing you to the folks who do them — starting with Kaly Moore, construction manager at a Washington, DC, solar company.
Brewing Up Energy Savings
9/30/2021
Contained within a single glass of beer is hundreds of hours of labor and vast amounts of resources. Join us as we go inside a popular craft brewery and learn how DOE programs are helping reduce costs while saving water and energy.
LCLS-II: Brighter, Faster, Smaller
7/9/2021
Stretching nearly two miles under a freeway in Palo Alto, CA, the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) is a huge X-ray laser with the power to capture images of molecules in motion. Now, a big upgrade is taking this SLAC Lab facility to the next level.
LPO's New Look: A Conversation with Jigar Shah
6/14/2021
With $40 billion in lending authority, the Loan Programs Office is one of the Energy Department's most powerful clean energy investment tools. We sat down with Director Jigar Shah to talk about how LPO works, and what's in store for the future of energy.
Getting to Know Secretary Granholm
4/21/2021
The nation's 16th Secretary of Energy, Jennifer Granholm, sat down with Direct Current to talk clean energy, climate, her "obsession" with creating millions of good-paying union jobs, and her vision for the Department of Energy.
Mars 2020, Part 2: SuperCam Does It All
7/30/2020
Developed by Los Alamos National Lab, SuperCam is the scientific “Swiss Army Knife” for NASA's Mars Perseverance Rover. In this episode, we hear from the SuperCam team what it's like shooting rocks with lasers, and how it could help us find life on...