Replacing the potent greenhouse gas SF6 in high-voltage circuit breakers with a clean alternative is critical as the U.S. looks to upgrade its aging electrical infrastructure.

Direct current (DC) has advantages over alternating current, and a new circuit breaker under development could make DC more practical.

Jennifer M. Granholm, the United States secretary of energy, visited a team of interdisciplinary and interinstitutional researchers led by Georgia Tech’s Lukas Graber.