Power Trip: The Story of Energy

The story of energy begins with water. How can we make energy and water less energy-intensive? WATER traces a centuries-long journey across the Middle East, Europe, Asia, and the United States to show the history of energy and water.

How do we harness energy to feed our growing population without the downsides of industrialization? FOOD traces a centuries-long journey across Europe, Asia, and the United States to show us the energy it takes to bring us our food.

Machines help us travel over land and across the sky but require an enormous amount of energy. TRANSPORTATION traces a centuries-long journey across the world to show us the energy that brings us modern transportation.

Before modern energy, wealth was tied to land ownership. Today, wealth is tied to energy and who controls it. WEALTH traces a centuries-long journey across the world to show us the energy that gives us wealth.

Cities shape our relationship with the natural and built environment and consume 40% of U.S. energy. CITIES traces the journey across the Middle East, Europe, Asia, and North America to show us the energy that gave us modern cities.

Energy can be both the cause and the instrument of modern war, leading to either peace or instability and conflict. WAR traces a centuries-long journey across the world to show us how energy changed the way we fight wars.