December 29, 2013

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Whats it look like inside an abandoned power plant? Strangely majestic.

Ive spent most of my morning consuming images of abandoned places all over the world: overgrown sections of the Great Wall of China and abandoned theme parks (depressing!) and more.

By David Wogan

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

I’ve spent most of my morning consuming images of abandoned places all over the world: overgrown sections of the Great Wall of China and abandoned theme parks (depressing!) and more. The images look like real life versions of apocalyptic movie sets, like something out of “I Am Legend” but not quite as forlorn as “Wall-E”.

It’s as if our civilization just disappeared one day. The only trace of our existence being how we changed the landscape for our benefit.

Some of the structures like an abandoned coal plant in Belgium are also strangely majestic in a cold and industrial way. In its empty cooling tower I see our technological prowess and ability to harness energy to improve our lives. In its abandoned, mothballed state, it looks like the structure in “Prometheus”; a relic of a technological society that mysteriously vanished.

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And I think, what would some future explorers see if they happened upon our planet and came across our power plants and factories? Majesty? Ruin? Pollution? D: all of the above?

Photo credits: Danel Barter Photography

 

David Wogan is an engineer and policy researcher who writes about energy, technology, and policy.

David's academic and professional background includes a unique blend of technology and policy in the field of energy systems. Most recently, David worked at Austin Energy, a Texas municipal utility, implementing a Department of Energy stimulus grant related to energy efficiency. Previously, David was a member of the Energy & Climate Change team at the White House Council on Environmental Quality for the Obama Administration.

David holds two Master's degrees from The University of Texas at Austin in Mechanical Engineering and Public Affairs. While at UT, David was a researcher in the Webber Energy Group, where his research focused on advanced biofuel production to offset petroleum use in the transportation sector. David holds a Bachelor's of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin, where he researched nuclear non-proliferation measurement technology.

David is a 2013 Aspen Institute Journalism Scholar, joining a select group of journalists from Slate, ABC News, and The New York Times.

David lives in Austin, Texas. Follow along on Twitter or email him at david.wogan@me.com.

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