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Direct Current - An Energy.gov Podcast
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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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.
People Powered: Conrad Flowers, Lead Interconnection Engineer
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.
Apr 13 2022
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People Powered: AlexAnna Salmon, Village Council President
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.
Feb 17 2022
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People Powered: Gaby Ibarra, Building Energy Analyst
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.
Jan 21 2022
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People Powered: Michael Flores, Wind Technician
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.
Dec 21 2021
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People Powered: Kaly Moore, Solar Construction Manager
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.
Nov 29 2021
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Brewing Up Energy Savings
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.
Sep 30 2021
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LCLS-II: Brighter, Faster, Smaller
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.
Jul 09 2021
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LPO's New Look: A Conversation with Jigar Shah
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.
Jun 14 2021
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Getting to Know Secretary Granholm
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.
Apr 21 2021
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Mars 2020, Part 2: SuperCam Does It All
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...
Jul 30 2020
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Mars 2020, Part 1: Powered by Plutonium
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.
Jul 24 2020
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AI: Safer, Smarter, More Secure (Live at AAAS)
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,
Apr 22 2020
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The Future of Water & Wildfire (Live at AAAS)
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.
Mar 31 2020
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National Labs Respond to COVID-19
An interview with Dr. Chris Fall, Director of the Department of Energy Office of Science, about the agency’s response to COVID-19.
Mar 14 2020
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Tribal Energy: Powering Self-Determination
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.
Dec 10 2019
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AI: This Is Just the Beginning
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!
Oct 09 2019
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S3 E8: KRUSTY in Spaaace!
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?
Jul 16 2019
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S3 E7: DUNE: The Neutrinos Must Flow
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?"
May 07 2019
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S3 E6: Women in Power: The C3E Story
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.
Mar 20 2019
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S3 E5: Microbiomes! Live at AAAS
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.
Mar 01 2019
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iTunes Ratings
94 Ratingsall
By Beaver Pond Ben - Mar 01 2018Not what you might expect!
Great info!
By justLuckey1 - Jul 27 2017Great content, great hosts, my new favorite podcast!