Bioenergy utilizes energy from plants to create fuels. But, how exactly do plants get so much energy? In part one of a three part series, Bioenergy Basics, we focus on how plants store energy, what crops are best for bioenergy, and how researchers are working to make these plants better. Bioenergy researcher Cullen Vens takes us on a photon's journey, following the energy from the sun to a plant.

Today we spoke with Daniel Parrell, a postdoctoral research associate in the Wright Lab working with cryo-electron microscopy and cryo-electron tomography. He received his undergraduate degree in microbiology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and his PhD in microbiology and molecular genetics at Michigan State University (MSU). He provides insight on his work and what it’s like to be a postdoctoral researcher.

The renewable energy transition is regularly framed as a national and even global issue, but many local communities are charging forward with ambitious sustainability plans. 

A team led by University of Wisconsin–Madison scholars has a plan to turn paper mill waste into plant-based plastics, slashing greenhouse gas emissions and other pollution and creating economic opportunities in ways that benefit marginalized communities.  

In this episode of Watt's Up, Wisconsin?, we break down why buildings consume so much energy and ways we can make buildings more efficient. We speak to UW–Madison's Joy Altwies about what makes a building efficient and ways we can make buildings more sustainable, both for the environment and for the people that occupy it.

As some of the world’s best thinkers work to engineer cleaner, more efficient forms of power, there’s one particular limit University of Wisconsin–Madison's Giri Venkataramanan believes is essential to remember: Jevons’ Paradox. 

When extreme weather hits, energy grids can suffer, with power outages displacing communities from essential services. However, microgrids can be a solution. In this episode of Watt's Up, Wisconsin, we break down what exactly microgrids are, and how they create community resilience in the wake of extreme weather.