A July 4th special, when energy use across the country is most in demand.
Our nation's power grid, the patchwork system that transmits and distributes electricity from plants to consumers, is aging and stretched to capacity... especially in summer months when users face triple-digit temperatures, violent storms and power outages.
BURN: An Energy Journal presents The Switchwith host Alex Chadwick, and examines the state of America's electric power grid and the science needed to modernize it.
• Can 21st century electrical engineers use "smart grid" technology to prevent power outages?
• What are the challenges involved in linking new sources of energy, such as wind and solar, to the grid?
• What is it like to be an electric-power lineman who works on top of those poles that support the grid.
• What are the challenges when there's no grid at all? We'll follow the research of the Army's Rapid Equipping Force, which aims to incorporate new technologies to solve critical problems on the battlefield, like energy.