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As 2014 comes to a close – a few favorites

It has been a busy year here at Plugged In. We have said a fond farewell (for now) to David Wogan and were excited to see Scott Huler launch a new project on Scientific American’s Expeditions.

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American


It has been a busy year here at Plugged In. We have said a fond farewell (for now) to David Wogan and were excited to see Scott Huler launch a new project on Scientific American's Expeditions. We welcomed Tali Trigg and Robert Fares as regular contributors at the Plugged In writing desk. The Scientific American blogging network has welcomed a new blogging editor, Curtis Brainard.

And, throughout the year, Plugged In has covered a wide array of energy stories, exploring the links between energy systems, the environment, and our lives.

As we wrap up the year and look ahead to 2015, here are a few favorites from my story list...


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3. The Lightning Potential - this year, a 9 year old boy named Nolan asked energy professor Dr. Michael Webber if we could power our homes with lightning. The answer? Sure we can. But we probably don't want to.

Keep asking questions, Nolan!

2. Should public transportation be free in cities with dirty air?

This summer, the air in Paris got so bad that the government banned cars from the road and made public transportation free. The result as cleaner air for Parisians to breathe and a question of whether or not polluted cities should follow in Paris's footsteps.

1. Welcome to Texas - America's Energy Storage Laboratory

Texas is not only the home of America's oil and gas industry, but also boasts the only state-contained power grid in the continental United States. The Lone Star State is using this unique system as a more than 100 acre laboratory for energy technologies. This fall, Oncor announced its latest push for grid-scale testing of energy storage technologies.

Thank you to all of our readers as well as the other bloggers and staff here at Scientific American for a fantastic and engaging 2014.

Happy holidays!