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From This Collection

This smart grid can save power -- and lives

Jul 11, 2013
The U.S. power grid needs upgrading to manage all the stresses on it. The Army is testing a much smaller grid that cut fuel use in half, saving soldiers' lives.

Today's Army marches on its batteries while searching for alternatives

Apr 22, 2013
The Rapid Equipping Force seeks solutions to problems soldiers encounter in the field -- such as packing pounds and pounds of batteries on patrol.

In Tokyo, a restaurant toasts Fukushima every night

Mar 12, 2013
One Tokyo restaurant is dedicated to Fukushima. It serves food and dishes from the region. Many of its customers are volunteers in the area destroyed by the tsunami two years ago. And it dedicates its profits to relief efforts.

Two years after Fukushima disaster, doubts of food safety linger in Japan

Mar 11, 2013
Japanese officials say food produced in the region around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant is safe. But if you want your rice tested in front of you -- there's a service for that.

Japan's lesson for U.S. reactors: Disaster is possible

Feb 21, 2013
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission studied the disaster at the Fukushima reactors for a year. Now it's voting on an expensive safety modification to 31 similar reactors in the U.S.

Innovators: Building an electric car for speed

Jan 30, 2013
Mike Pethel has pieced together what may be the fastest electric car anywhere, using two DC motors and enough batteries to power 750 homes.

Scientific method: The search for a better battery

Jan 2, 2013
The biggest barrier to renewable energy such as solar and wind is storing the electricity it generates. In a university laboratory, a scientist painstakingly re-imagines the battery.

For public good, not for profit.

For a town in need of jobs, going nuclear was easy call

Sep 5, 2012
Eunice, in a dusty corner of New Mexico, rode the ups and downs of the oil business for decades. Then a nuclear-processing plant came calling, and Eunice welcomed its jobs.

This is the oil business

Apr 20, 2012
Oil doesn't come from a gas pump, it comes from modern-day prospectors who depend on data ... and luck.