diff --git a/day16/main.zig b/day16/main.zig
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..37a020d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/day16/main.zig
@@ -0,0 +1,254 @@
+const std = @import("std");
+
+const Dir = enum(usize) { up, right, down, left };
+const Coord = struct { row: usize, col: usize };
+const Beam = struct { dir: Dir, coord: Coord };
+
+pub fn main() !void {
+    var content = @embedFile("data.txt");
+
+    var gpa = std.heap.GeneralPurposeAllocator(.{}){};
+    const allocator = gpa.allocator();
+
+    var grid = std.ArrayList(std.ArrayList(u8)).init(allocator);
+    defer grid.deinit();
+
+    var lines = std.mem.split(u8, content, "\n");
+
+    while (lines.next()) |line| {
+        if (line.len < 1) {
+            break;
+        }
+
+        var lineArrayList = std.ArrayList(u8).init(allocator);
+
+        for (line) |char| {
+            try lineArrayList.append(char);
+        }
+
+        try grid.append(lineArrayList);
+    }
+
+    const energy = try energize(Beam{ .dir = Dir.right, .coord = Coord{ .row = 0, .col = 0 } }, grid);
+
+    std.debug.print("Part 1: {d}\n", .{energy});
+
+    const height = grid.items.len;
+    const width = grid.items[0].items.len;
+
+    var maxEnergy: usize = 0;
+
+    for (0..height) |row| {
+        for ([_]usize{ 0, width - 1 }) |col| {
+            const dir = if (col == 0) Dir.right else Dir.left;
+            const start = Beam{ .dir = dir, .coord = Coord{ .row = row, .col = col } };
+            const e = try energize(start, grid);
+            if (e > maxEnergy) {
+                maxEnergy = e;
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    for (0..width) |col| {
+        for ([_]usize{ 0, height - 1 }) |row| {
+            const dir = if (row == 0) Dir.down else Dir.up;
+            const start = Beam{ .dir = dir, .coord = Coord{ .row = row, .col = col } };
+            const e = try energize(start, grid);
+            if (e > maxEnergy) {
+                maxEnergy = e;
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    std.debug.print("Part 2: {d}\n", .{maxEnergy});
+}
+
+fn energize(start: Beam, grid: std.ArrayList(std.ArrayList(u8))) !usize {
+    var gpa = std.heap.GeneralPurposeAllocator(.{}){};
+    const allocator = gpa.allocator();
+
+    var beams = std.ArrayList(Beam).init(allocator);
+    defer beams.deinit();
+
+    // add the first beam
+    try beams.append(start);
+
+    var energized = std.AutoHashMap(Coord, void).init(allocator);
+    defer energized.deinit();
+
+    var beamHistory = std.AutoHashMap(Beam, void).init(allocator);
+    defer beamHistory.deinit();
+
+    const height = grid.items.len;
+    const width = grid.items[0].items.len;
+
+    while (true) {
+        // make 2 new lists: beams to add, and beams to remove.
+        // batch these while iterating, and do it all after
+        var beamsToAdd = std.ArrayList(Beam).init(allocator);
+        defer beamsToAdd.deinit();
+
+        var beamsToRemove = std.ArrayList(usize).init(allocator);
+        defer beamsToRemove.deinit();
+
+        if (beams.items.len == 0) {
+            break;
+        }
+
+        for ((&beams).items, 0..) |*b, beamNumber| {
+            if (isOutOfGrid(b, grid)) {
+                try beamsToRemove.append(beamNumber);
+                continue;
+            }
+
+            try energized.put(b.coord, {});
+
+            if (beamHistory.contains(b.*)) {
+                try beamsToRemove.append(beamNumber);
+                continue;
+            }
+
+            try beamHistory.put(b.*, {});
+
+            const row = b.coord.row;
+            const col = b.coord.col;
+
+            const value = grid.items[row].items[col];
+
+            const goStraight = value == '.' or (value == '|' and (b.dir == .up or b.dir == .down)) or
+                (value == '-' and (b.dir == .left or b.dir == .right));
+
+            if (goStraight) {
+                switch (b.dir) {
+                    .up => if (row == 0) {
+                        b.coord.row = height + 10; // put it out of the grid to get cleaned up
+                    } else {
+                        b.coord.row -= 1;
+                    },
+                    .right => b.coord.col += 1,
+                    .down => b.coord.row += 1,
+                    .left => if (col == 0) {
+                        b.coord.col = width + 10; // put it out of the grid to get cleaned up
+                    } else {
+                        b.coord.col -= 1;
+                    },
+                }
+            } else if (value == '|') {
+                if (row == 0) {
+                    // if we are on the top row, change the beam to go down
+                    b.dir = Dir.down;
+                    b.coord.row += 1;
+                } else {
+                    // otherwise, change beam direction to up and move it up one cell
+                    b.dir = Dir.up;
+                    b.coord.row -= 1;
+                    if (row != height - 1) {
+                        // and if we're not on the _bottom_ row,
+                        // create a new beam going down, below this cell
+                        const newBeam = Beam{ .dir = Dir.down, .coord = Coord{ .row = row + 1, .col = col } };
+                        try beamsToAdd.append(newBeam);
+                    }
+                }
+            } else if (value == '-') {
+                if (col == 0) {
+                    // if we are on the first col, change the beam to go right
+                    b.dir = Dir.right;
+                    b.coord.col += 1;
+                } else {
+                    // otherwise, change beam direction to left and move it left one cell
+                    b.dir = Dir.left;
+                    b.coord.col -= 1;
+                    if (col != width - 1) {
+                        // and if we're not on the _last_ column,
+                        // create a new beam going right, to the right this cell
+                        const newBeam = Beam{ .dir = Dir.right, .coord = Coord{ .row = row, .col = col + 1 } };
+                        try beamsToAdd.append(newBeam);
+                    }
+                }
+            } else if (value == '/') {
+                switch (b.dir) {
+                    .up => {
+                        b.dir = Dir.right;
+                        b.coord.col += 1;
+                    },
+                    .right => if (row == 0) {
+                        b.coord.row = height + 10; // put it out of the grid to get cleaned up
+                    } else {
+                        b.dir = Dir.up;
+                        b.coord.row -= 1;
+                    },
+                    .down => if (col == 0) {
+                        b.coord.row = height + 10; // put it out of the grid to get cleaned up
+                    } else {
+                        b.dir = Dir.left;
+                        b.coord.col -= 1;
+                    },
+                    .left => {
+                        b.dir = Dir.down;
+                        b.coord.row += 1;
+                    },
+                }
+            } else if (value == '\\') {
+                switch (b.dir) {
+                    .up => if (col == 0) {
+                        b.coord.col = width + 10; // put it out of the grid to get cleaned up
+                    } else {
+                        b.dir = Dir.left;
+                        b.coord.col -= 1;
+                    },
+                    .right => {
+                        b.dir = Dir.down;
+                        b.coord.row += 1;
+                    },
+                    .down => {
+                        b.dir = Dir.right;
+                        b.coord.col += 1;
+                    },
+                    .left => if (row == 0) {
+                        b.coord.row = height + 10; // put it out of the grid to get cleaned up
+                    } else {
+                        b.dir = Dir.up;
+                        b.coord.row -= 1;
+                    },
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
+        // remove the beams in reverse order
+        const len = beamsToRemove.items.len;
+        for (0..len) |j| {
+            const idx = beamsToRemove.items[len - j - 1];
+            _ = beams.orderedRemove(idx);
+        }
+        beamsToRemove.clearAndFree();
+
+        // add the new beams
+        for (beamsToAdd.items) |beam| {
+            try beams.append(beam);
+        }
+        beamsToAdd.clearAndFree();
+    }
+
+    return energized.count();
+}
+
+fn isOutOfGrid(beam: *Beam, grid: std.ArrayList(std.ArrayList(u8))) bool {
+    const row = beam.coord.row;
+    const col = beam.coord.col;
+    const height = grid.items.len;
+    const width = grid.items[0].items.len;
+    return row < 0 or row >= height or col < 0 or col >= width;
+}
+
+fn printGrid(grid: std.ArrayList(std.ArrayList(u8)), energized: std.AutoHashMap(Coord, void)) void {
+    for (grid.items, 0..) |line, row| {
+        for (line.items, 0..) |char, col| {
+            if (char == '.' and energized.contains(Coord{ .row = row, .col = col })) {
+                std.debug.print("#", .{});
+            } else {
+                std.debug.print("{c}", .{char});
+            }
+        }
+        std.debug.print("\n", .{});
+    }
+}