One of the main impediments to harnessing solar energy is storage. Solar batteries work as a short-term solution, but not when it comes to long-term storage or to power, say, an entire city. A possible answer, though, might lie in oil wells. California-based Hyperlight Energy will be piloting an installation,…
Payal Dhar (she/they) is a freelance journalist on science, technology and society, and writes about AI, cybersecurity, surveillance, space, energy and any shiny new technology that catches her eye. Dhar has been writing about technology since the time typewriters were still found in offices, and has bylines in IEEE Spectrum, Chemical & Engineering News, WIRED, Nature Machine Intelligence, Astronomy, Discover, Al Jazeera, Guardian, Washington Post and many more. You can find and DM Dhar on Twitter @payaldhar.
Oil and gas operations are commonly found in remote locations far from company headquarters. Now, it's possible to monitor pump operations, collate and analyze seismic data, and track employees around the world from almost anywhere. Whether employees are in the office or in the field, the internet and related applications enable a greater multidirectional flow of information – and control – than ever before.