10 Infrastructure Projects We’d Like to See Get Off the Ground

In his victory speech, Donald J. Trump vowed to “rebuild our highways, bridges, tunnels, airports, schools, hospitals.” The investment is long overdue: The American Society of Civil Engineers, in its most recent national assessment, rated the country’s infrastructure as a D-plus, just above failing. The group estimates that, by 2025, the nation will need a $1.44 trillion boost over current funding levels to meet growing needs.

Since 2009, when Barack Obama doled out roughly $800 billion in a stimulus package, that money’s been hard to come by, largely blocked by partisanship. But advocates hope the election of Trump, who made his fortune in real estate, could launch a building boom. The Republican president, so used to seeing his name on gilded skyscrapers, hotels, casinos and golf courses, could cut a deal with congressional Democrats, who view public-works projects as an engine for job growth.

Assuming Trump can indeed pass a bill, we at NationSwell have a few ideas for him to consider. A big, beautiful wall’s not one of them; instead, here’s the top 10 shovel-worthy alternatives we’d like the new administration to undertake.

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With This One Step, Elon Musk Turned SolarCity From a Panel Installer Into a Utility Company

Some industry analysts predict that solar companies will replace utility companies this century. Elon Musk just gave that prediction a lot more credibility. Musk’s solar company, SolarCity, announced that it is on track to raising $54.4 million from private investors. The company has roughly 68,000 signed contracts in the United States. The financial plan is remarkable because it is a first for a solar company; it means, as Fast Co.Exist notes, “SolarCity is financing itself as a utility might.” Other solar companies may soon follow, and soon after, all our roofs will be paved with panels.
Sources: FastCo.Exist
[Image: Araya Diaz/Getty Images for TechCrunch]

Teenage Scientist Invents Nuclear Devices for a Safer World

Are you ready to feel a bit…under-accomplished? Nevada 19-year-old Taylor Wilson aspires to develop clean nuclear fusion energy, and few who’ve met him doubt that he can do it. Wilson built his own nuclear reactor at age 14 in his parents’ garage, teaching himself the process by studying information on the Internet and learning from professors at Reno’s Davidson Academy, a public school for gifted students. Wilson is the youngest person to ever build a reactor, and since completing that project he’s built a series of inventions involving nuclear energy, including a method for making less expensive medical isotopes for cancer screening and a device that can detect weapons-grade plutonium at shipping ports, a feat that won him first prize at the Intel Science Fair. He’s currently working on designs for safer, smaller power plants that would not have meltdowns and other accidents. He’s skipping college to have more time to work on his inventions.