How Will We Illuminate in the Future?
Imaginative New Ways to Redesign How We Use and Distribute Energy
by Eric Chan
Take a moment and try to visualize energy. You might think of lightning — that raw untamed force of nature tearing open the skies with a brilliant flash, or you might think of the sun, and its ability to sustain our world and illuminate the solar system.
But the energy we interact with daily isn’t big and flashy — it moves through inconspicuous outlets in our walls. These outlets are a deceivingly simple interface to an immensely complex system. This system has served us well for nearly a century, but our emerging needs for environmental sustainability and power stability mean we’re about to outgrow it.
If we follow the wires and cable back from our outlets, we’ll find a heavily regulated industry made up of private companies, non-profit operators, public agencies, aging infrastructure, raw fuel sources, prediction software, and thousands of miles of copper wire. All of these elements work together to bring us reliable electricity (almost) every day.
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