Direct Current - An Energy.gov Podcast artwork

Direct Current - An Energy.gov Podcast

63 episodes - English - Latest episode: 3 months ago - ★★★★★ - 107 ratings

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.

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Episodes

S4 E5: End of Year Chat with Secretary Jennifer Granholm

December 20, 2023 19:52 - 38 minutes - 53.1 MB

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 e...

S4 E4: 70 Years of Atoms for Peace

December 08, 2023 16:53 - 25 minutes - 17.5 MB

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 nucle...

S4 E3: Fully Charged: How Batteries Are Combating the Climate Crisis, Part 1

October 17, 2023 14:52 - 12 minutes - 8.71 MB

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.

The Manhattan Project, Part 2 (REBROADCAST)

July 20, 2023 20:41 - 36 minutes - 25.2 MB

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.

The Manhattan Project, Part 1 (REBROADCAST)

July 20, 2023 20:41 - 35 minutes - 24.4 MB

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.

S4 E2: The Extremes of Weather in a Changing Climate

July 06, 2023 17:12 - 18 minutes - 12.6 MB

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 ahe...

S4 E1: Keeping the Lights on in Ukraine

May 03, 2023 19:02 - 18 minutes - 12.8 MB

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.

Who Cares About Quantum? (Season 4 Teaser)

February 22, 2023 05:25 - 14 minutes - 18.1 MB

"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: Se...

People Powered: Chris Castro, Director of Sustainability

August 04, 2022 16:10 - 20 minutes - 17.2 MB

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.

People Powered: Chris Castro, Director of Sustainability

August 04, 2022 16:10 - 17.3 MB

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.

SPECIAL FEATURE: The Name Change Initiative

June 17, 2022 15:35 - 33 minutes - 25.2 MB

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.

People Powered: Conrad Flowers, Lead Interconnection Engineer

April 13, 2022 15:31 - 18 minutes - 13.2 MB

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.

People Powered: AlexAnna Salmon, Village Council President

February 17, 2022 16:50 - 24 minutes - 21.9 MB

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.

People Powered: Gaby Ibarra, Building Energy Analyst

January 21, 2022 15:00 - 18 minutes - 16.5 MB

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.

People Powered: Michael Flores, Wind Technician

December 21, 2021 16:57 - 19 minutes - 16.3 MB

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

November 29, 2021 18:11 - 20 minutes - 15.1 MB

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

September 30, 2021 12:23 - 21 minutes - 15.3 MB

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

July 09, 2021 04:10 - 28 minutes - 24.9 MB

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

June 14, 2021 12:40 - 23 minutes - 16.9 MB

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

April 21, 2021 13:29 - 25 minutes - 24.1 MB

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

July 30, 2020 09:18 - 22 minutes - 15.3 MB

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...

Mars 2020, Part 1: Powered by Plutonium

July 24, 2020 14:16 - 32 minutes - 22.6 MB

NASA's Mars Perseverance Rover is loaded with technology developed by the Department of Energy, including a nuclear battery fueled by plutonium-238. Listen as we follow the rover’s power source on its 7-year, 5,000-mile journey from lab to launch pad.

AI: Safer, Smarter, More Secure (Live at AAAS)

April 22, 2020 11:24 - 23 minutes - 19.2 MB

Artificial intelligence is all around us — even if we don’t realize it — and the rapid spread of AI technologies into our lives raises big questions about security. Our guests in this episode study the risks of ever-present AI,

The Future of Water & Wildfire (Live at AAAS)

March 31, 2020 21:48 - 25 minutes - 23.8 MB

COVID-19 is dominating the headlines, but the pandemic isn’t the only threat to human health. Water is an essential part of life, but changes in the water cycle can have disastrous results. The National Labs are working to understand and predict them.

National Labs Respond to COVID-19

March 14, 2020 14:45 - 9 minutes - 11.1 MB

An interview with Dr. Chris Fall, Director of the Department of Energy Office of Science, about the agency’s response to COVID-19.

Tribal Energy: Powering Self-Determination

December 10, 2019 20:06 - 38 minutes - 29.2 MB

For hundreds of Indian tribes and native communities across the United States, energy represents many things: a lifeline, a source of income, a path to sovereignty. Learn how the Office of Indian Energy helps tribes take control of their energy destinies.

AI: This Is Just the Beginning

October 09, 2019 20:24 - 22 minutes - 16.3 MB

Artificial intelligence is all over the news, but what's all the hype really about? We travel to Oak Ridge National Lab in Tennessee to find out how AI is going to revolutionize science, and welcome a new podcast to the Department of Energy family!

S3 E8: KRUSTY in Spaaace!

July 16, 2019 08:12 - 23 minutes - 18.7 MB

50 years after Apollo 11 made history, NASA is getting ready to send astronauts back to the Moon, then on to Mars. We're going to need a power supply that can keep humans alive in space for years at a time. Could a miniature nuclear reactor be the answer?

S3 E7: DUNE: The Neutrinos Must Flow

May 07, 2019 18:50 - 44 minutes - 30.3 MB

Join Direct Current on a subatomic sojourn into the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE), a massive international research project aiming to unlock the secrets of the neutrino and answer the question, "Why does anything exist?"

S3 E6: Women in Power: The C3E Story

March 20, 2019 17:35 - 25 minutes - 17.5 MB

Direct Current - An Energy.gov Podcast talks to the women who are leading a clean energy revolution, with a little help from C3E. It's part support network, part annual gathering, part awards show — and all about empowerment.

S3 E5: Microbiomes! Live at AAAS

March 01, 2019 05:40 - 26 minutes - 14.7 MB

There's an invisible world of microbes living all around us that we're only just beginning to understand. We talked to two DOE scientists at the 2019 AAAS Meeting in D.C. to learn how genetic research could answer big questions about these tiny organisms.

S3 E4: This Episode Stinks

November 21, 2018 17:19 - 35 minutes - 24.4 MB

Grease. Gunk. Sludge. Where most people see a nasty nuisance, these scientists see powerful potential. Join us as we wade into the world of bioenergy and learn about the folks working to turn waste into useful energy!

S3 E3: Nuclear Energy: Fact, Fiction, Future 

September 13, 2018 18:07 - 38 minutes - 26.7 MB

Nuclear energy gets a bad rap on "The Simpsons," but there's a lot more to the story. In this episode of Direct Current, we separate fact from fiction and and explore how splitting atoms could play a big role in America's clean energy future.

S3 E2: Makers

July 31, 2018 18:28 - 28 minutes - 20.1 MB

This episode of Direct Current is dedicated to the makers at the Energy Department — the engineers, researchers and artisans whose creations are pushing science and technology to exciting new places.

S3 E1: Sitting Down with Secretary Perry

June 20, 2018 16:00 - 23 minutes - 18.3 MB

You know Rick Perry as the current Secretary of Energy and former Texas governor, but did you know he once played drums with ZZ Top? On the Direct Current season 3 premiere, hear from Perry on everything from supercomputers to "Dancing with the Stars."

S2 E9: Power Couple

February 05, 2018 19:55 - 18 minutes - 17.3 MB

A pair of energy detectives is hunting down waste and saving money at two big U.S. manufacturing companies. Hear their story, and learn how our Better Plants program is helping partners across the nation find similar success.

S2 E8: Holiday Lights, Redux

December 19, 2017 21:17 - 15 minutes - 15.1 MB

We're keeping the season merry and bright with a show about data and holiday lights!

SHORT CIRCUIT | History of the Light Bulb

November 14, 2017 22:46 - 7 minutes - 15.3 MB

One of the most ubiquitous items in the world is an item you can probably see from wherever you’re listening… the light bulb. The story of how the light bulb came to light is a fascinating one that we think even a child could understand.

S2 E7: Energy Secrets

October 27, 2017 10:16 - 26 minutes - 36.1 MB

From the real science behind the Upside Down in Netflix's "Stranger Things" to the mysterious death of a U.S. president, Direct Current is pulling back the curtain on some of our deepest, darkest #EnergySecrets.

SHORT CIRCUIT | Energy @ 40

October 04, 2017 12:31 - 17 minutes - 35 MB

Energy is 40 and we're celebrating with a look back at four decades of #ScienceForThePeople. We talk to the Department's longest-serving employee (53 years!), revisit the agency's origins, and look to the future with the help of our official historians.

S2 E6: A Shot in the Dark

September 13, 2017 10:00 - 26 minutes - 38.4 MB

Earth, the cosmos, everything we can see with our eyes and our instruments is made up of normal matter. But all that doesn’t add up to a whole lot. It's just 15% of the mass of the universe. The rest is an unknown, invisible… something…

SHORT CIRCUIT | Solar, Meet Eclipse

August 17, 2017 14:55 - 9 minutes - 19.6 MB

Solar power is booming in the U.S. So what happens when the sun disappears during the total solar eclipse on August 21, 2017? We talk to the energy experts.

S2 E5: Hyper Drive Time

August 09, 2017 08:00 - 19 minutes - 33.4 MB

And now, for something completely different… Take a drive with Direct Current as we mash up three slightly off-kilter energy stories. It might get weird, but it won’t be boring. It’s Hyper Drive Time!

S2 E4: 17 Labs in 17 Minutes

July 24, 2017 11:00 - 22 minutes - 35.3 MB

The Department of Energy’s National Labs are the crown jewels of science in America. But their work is so diverse that it’s hard to cover all 17 of them in one podcast episode. So naturally, Direct Current took on that challenge.

S2 E4: 17 Labs in 17 Minutes

July 24, 2017 11:00 - 44.9 MB

The Department of Energy’s National Labs are the crown jewels of science in America. But their work is so diverse that it’s hard to cover all 17 of them in one podcast episode. So naturally, Direct Current took on that challenge.

This Lab Is Your Lab

June 30, 2017 15:42 - 2 minutes - 5.13 MB

As we head into July 4, enjoy "This Lab Is Your Lab." A song meant to highlight some of the amazing work being done across the Energy Department's system of 17 National Labs, the crown jewels of science in the United States.

S2 E3: The Manhattan Project, Part 2

June 21, 2017 16:51 - 35 minutes - 52.1 MB

The conclusion to our two part series on the Manhattan Project -- 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.

SHORT CIRCUIT | Ruth's Story

June 05, 2017 16:23 - 14 minutes - 29.4 MB

Ruth Huddleston was 18 when she took a job at a secret Army facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, during World War II. It was so highly classified that no one could even tell her what she was working on. We have her story.

S2 E2: The Manhattan Project, Part 1

May 18, 2017 17:57 - 34 minutes - 57.2 MB

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.

SHORT CIRCUIT | How to Soak Up an Oil Spill

April 20, 2017 18:08 - 13.1 MB

It's been seven years since the Deepwater Horizon disaster. Could a sponge developed by Argonne National Lab help stop the next big oil spill from becoming a catastrophe?