How Trump Can Make The Nixonian Dream Of 1,000 Nuclear Power Plants A Reality
As we grapple with the twin challenges of energy security and energy reliability, revisiting Nixon’s vision offers valuable lessons.As we grapple with the twin challenges of energy security and energy reliability, revisiting Nixon’s vision offers valuable lessons.America's power grid is collapsing. Big Tech has a Hail Mary to keep the lights on, but is it too late?
In today's technology-driven world, the relentless march of innovation comes with a hefty price tag: massively increased energy needs. Emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, data centers, server farms, and cryptocurrency are consuming staggering amounts of power, which is leading Big Tech companies to increasingly desperate measures to secure the energy they need. As industry leaders scramble to keep up with the growing demand, a glaring question emerges: How will the United States meet the unprecedented energy needs of its tech giants?
The energy consumption of emerging technologies is already staggering and shows no signs of slowing down. The recently released Mid-Year Electricity Update from the International Energy Agency predicts global energy demands will grow at a nearly unprecedented rate. The report directly references the advancements in AI as a contributing factor to this expected surge.
Until recently, many industry leaders, even in the tech space, advocated for increases in renewable energy to fight climate change. However, many are acknowledging the limitations of current renewable energy sources, particularly wind and solar.
In recent years, the demand for energy from Big Tech companies has skyrocketed, necessitating a re-evaluation of energy production in the United States. For example, Microsoft used 23.6 terawatt-hours of electricity in 2023, an astonishing threefold increase from its 2018 energy consumption. Amazon's electricity use reached nearly 57 terawatt-hours in 2022, matching the energy consumption of the entire country of Greece. Even more striking, estimates suggest that the AI industry alone could consume 85 to 134 terawatt-hours of energy annually by 2027 — a figure that might ultimately prove to be conservative.
The energy needs of AI and Big Tech
The energy demands of large language models like ChatGPT illustrate just how increasingly energy-intensive these technologies can be. Training ChatGPT-3 required 1.3 gigawatt-hours, while the training of ChatGPT-4 spiked to 50 gigawatt-hours — a 40-fold increase. Moreover, this energy expenditure is only the upfront cost. Using these AI tools also requires significant energy. Tasks, like simple text generation, consume multiple times the energy required for a standard Google search. Beyond that, generative AI tools — used to create images and videos — are even more taxing.
As these energy requirements continue to escalate, it becomes evident that the existing energy infrastructure in the United States is ill-equipped to support the insatiable needs of Big Tech. A significant push for increased energy production is vital if the country hopes to keep pace with the demands of emerging technologies.
Acknowledging energy shortcomings
Recognizing this urgent need for energy, industry leaders are becoming increasingly outspoken. Recent discussions among tech leaders, including OpenAI’s Sam Altman and executives from Anthropic, Nvidia, Microsoft, and Google, have underscored this urgent need for more energy. In September, these leaders met with White House officials to discuss the industry’s future requirements, revealing that individual data centers may soon require a staggering 5 gigawatts of energy to operate effectively.
In a recent podcast interview, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook/Meta, warned that tech companies are “going to run into energy constraints.” Similarly, OpenAI’s Altman emphasized the necessity for breakthroughs in energy production during a discussion at the World Economic Forum's Davos conference in January. Altman has at least two investments in nuclear ventures — Oklo, focusing on traditional nuclear fission, and Helion, which aims to harness nuclear fusion.
BlackRock CEO Larry Fink provided a sobering perspective when he revealed that one executive indicated to him that data centers may require an astounding 30 gigawatts of energy by 2030. Fink stressed that we cannot rely on the intermittent nature of wind and solar power to power these data companies, highlighting the urgent need for a reliable energy source. Fink told the audience that “the world is going to be short power. And to power these data companies, you cannot have this intermittent power like wind and solar.”
Until recently, many industry leaders, even in the tech space, advocated for increases in renewable energy to fight climate change. However, many are acknowledging the limitations of current renewable energy sources, particularly wind and solar. These forms of energy are often touted as the solution to our power needs, but they come with inherent flaws. As intermittent power sources, wind and solar cannot provide the consistent baseload power necessary to sustain the relentless energy demands of data centers and AI technologies.
A nuclear renaissance born of desperation?
As Big Tech firms grapple with their energy needs, a dawning realization is emerging: The solution may lie in a renewed focus on nuclear power. The desperate search for energy has led Big Tech companies to strike controversial deals with energy suppliers. Earlier this year, Amazon signed a deal with Talen Energy to secure large amounts of power. This agreement was met with public criticism from people worried the deal would result in increased electricity prices for average ratepayers.
Perhaps as a response to this deal, Microsoft took a more unconventional approach. In September, Microsoft secured a controversial agreement to reopen the infamous 3-Mile Island plant in Pennsylvania. This decision has drawn scrutiny, given the plant's legacy as one of the most notorious nuclear power incidents in history. The deal will provide Microsoft with 835 megawatts of electricity per year for 20 years, enough to power approximately 700,000 homes.
In addition to corporate initiatives, the White House is also considering plans to resurrect more nuclear reactors, including Holtec's Palisades nuclear plant in Michigan.
For the past several decades, political momentum has driven a push for wind and solar to replace conventional energy sources in the United States and around the globe. But with the soaring energy demands of emerging technologies and Big Tech, we may be approaching a tipping point where wind and solar are rejected in favor of more reliable energy sources including nuclear power. As the tech industry’s appetite for energy continues to grow, nuclear may re-emerge as a viable option to power the future.
EPA Emission Rules Threaten To Shut Down Power Grid For Millions
President Joe Biden's climate agenda is likely to deliver blackouts for millions, according to a North Dakota state assessment of EPA rules.Biden admin releases energy grid plan for electric-, hydrogen-powered freight trucks
On Tuesday, the Biden administration released its energy grid plan for electric- and hydrogen-powered long-haul freight trucks, according to a press release from the Department of Energy.
The administration's 16-year power infrastructure plan will install charging and refueling stations along 12,000 miles of high-traffic roads and national highways.
United States Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said, "For over a century, petroleum-fueled freight has transported vital food and resources to American families, but at the same time, these vehicles have also contributed to lower public health, especially in densely populated communities."
The National Zero-Emission Freight Corridor Strategy was developed by the DOE and Joint Office of Energy and Transportation in partnership with the Department of Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency. The plan aims to build zero-emission fueling infrastructure for long-haul, medium- and heavy-duty freight trucks by 2040.
"The Strategy is designed to meet growing market demands by targeting public investment to amplify private sector momentum, focus utility and regulatory energy planning, align industry activity, and improve air quality in local communities heavily impacted by diesel emissions," the DOE's press release read. "Providing ubiquitous and convenient access to electric vehicle (EV) charging and hydrogen refueling along our nation's freight corridors and at intermodal freight facilities and high-usage ports is key to achieving U.S. goals to promote at least 30 percent [zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicles] sales by 2030 and 100 percent sales by 2040."
Biden's national climate adviser, Ali Zaidi, noted that 75% of truck traffic travels on 4% of the country's roads. He argued that the strategy would be a "win-win-win" for communities, businesses, and the climate.
The DOE claims the four-phased build-out will have "considerable potential to save Americans money on consumer goods thanks to reduced fueling and maintenance costs associated with transport." The energy grid plan will also provide "significant health benefits for historically disadvantaged populations that suffer the worst impacts of pollution from freight emissions and helping achieve national climate goals," it added.
The first phase of the strategy, to be completed by 2027, will use freight volumes to determine the priority hubs. The next stage will "connect hubs along critical freight corridors" by 2030. The strategy designates another five years to "expand corridor connections initiating network development." Lastly, the fourth phase will "achieve [a] national network by linking regional corridors for ubiquitous access."
According to Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt, long-haul freight trucks contribute roughly 23% of the country's transportation greenhouse gas emissions.
"These new designations and strategy will help to grow our national EV charging network, encourage clean commerce within the freight community, and support President Biden's goals of achieving net-zero emissions for the nation by 2050," Bhatt said.
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Bundle Up For Coal-Killer John Kerry’s Cold, Dark Winter
When your lights flicker and your heat fails this winter, remember to thank a climate czar.Report: Kinetic attacks on US power grid spiked 71% in 2022
A division of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation indicated in a recent study that physical attacks on the U.S. power grid spiked by 71% in 2022 over the previous year, reported the Wall Street Journal.
According to the grid oversight body's Electricity Information Sharing and Analysis Center division, vandalism, ballistic damage, and intrusion drove the increase.
What's the background?
NewsNation noted that Duke Energy Florida experienced several "substation intrusion events' in September. For instance, on Sept. 21, an intruder busted into the Zephyrhills North substation in Pasco County, Florida, sabotaging equipment that resulted in a nine-minute-long outage.
Substations convert high-voltage electricity into lower voltages for use by businesses and residences.
According to Central Oregon Daily, one of the Bonneville Power Administration's substations in Clackamas County, Oregon, was hit on Nov. 24.
John Lahti, BPA transmission vice president of field services, said, "Someone clearly wanted to damage equipment and, possibly, cause a power outage."
In early December, vandals attacked substations in Moore County, North Carolina, with gunfire, leaving 45,000 people without power.
Four electric substations in western Washington were reportedly attacked on Christmas Day, depriving over 17,000 of power in Pierce County alone.
Pierce County sheriff's deputies observed signs of forced entry at all four substations, noting that equipment had been vandalized, but "nothing had been taken," reported USA Today.
Additional attacks have been prevented.
TheBlaze reported earlier this month that a Florida man with neo-Nazi links and a Maryland woman were charged with conspiracy to attack the Maryland power grid. Brandon Clint Russell, of Orlando, Florida, allegedly planned to trigger a "cascading failure" by attacking a small number of substations. He reportedly discussed hitting multiple substations simultaneously to maximize the impact of the infrastructure attack.
There were at least 108 human-related events reported during the first eight months of 2022, compared with 99 in 2021. WSOC-TV reported that by year end, there were 163 reported incidents of physical attack, vandalism, suspicious activity, or sabotage on the U.S. grid.
The North American Electric Reliability Corporation suggested that these attacks are part of a worsening trend.
Knocking your lights out
The NERC is a not-for-profit international regulatory authority mandated with assuring the reliability of the North American grid, which powers both the United States and Canada, as well as the northern portion of Baja California, Mexico.
The NERC 2022 Annual Report released Tuesday states, "Increasingly bold adversaries regularly employ new tactics, techniques, and procedures; they are also exploiting new and legacy vulnerabilities. As a result of sector interdependencies, grid evolution, and an expanding supply chain, the threat surface as well as the potential magnitude of impacts has increased."
E-ISAC, a division of the NERC, recently noted a 20% spike in physical security incidents involving power outages since 2020.
E-ISAC's confidential analysis, obtained by CBS News, suggested that the "smaller 20% increase (2020 to 2022) is due to the high number of serious incidents that occurred during 2020 that can be attributed to the onset of COVID, increased social tensions and a decline in economic condition."
In 2022, however, an "unusual" number of "repeat and clustered attacks" beset energy infrastructure in the Southeast, Midwest, and Pacific Northwest with "individual sites being repeatedly targeted or multiple sites being targeted within close proximity to one another."
E-ISAC reportedly "assesses with medium confidence that the recent uptick in serious physical security incidents is likely to continue into 2023 based on the number and nature of recent attacks combined with the overall current heightened threat environment."
Manny Cancel, E-ISAC's chief executive, told the Wall Street Journal, "There seems to be a pattern where people are targeting critical infrastructure, probably with the intent to disrupt. ... Going back to the 2020 presidential election, as well as the recent midterm elections, we’ve seen an uptick in chatter and an uptick in incidents as well."
While there is an alarming number of ideologically-motivated attacks, Cancel told WSOC, "The overwhelming majority are petty vandalism, theft, particularly copper theft. ... A lot of break-ins to do that, occasionally arson or damage, but that is primarily what we’re seeing."
According to E-ISAC, 97% of incidents "resulted in no disruption of service."
Brian Harrell, former assistant secretary for infrastructure protection at the Department of Homeland Security, told CBS News, "It's important to note that new fencing, cameras, or better lighting isn't going to prevent attacks. They will continue to happen. ... This is why we must invest in resilience, adding redundancy, and removing single points of failure. Certain attacks on critical infrastructure should be legally treated as domestic terrorism."
Extra to physical attacks, the U.S. has to contend with virtual threats.
While the "U.S. electric grid is actually very resilient ... cyber-risks are increasing constantly because as we become more connected, more digitally controlled, that does introduce a cyber-risk that we have to start to manage," Puesh Kumar, director of the Energy Department's Office of Cybersecurity, Energy, Security and Emergency Response, told NPR last month.
Power grid stations in Washington falling victim to recent attacks after FBI warning youtu.be
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Glenn Beck: Every NEW car will be electric by 2030
Glenn Beck joined Stu Burguiere and discussed why he believes the Biden administration and the United Nations will threaten the American consumer as their goals align.
In this clip, Glenn examines the Paris agreement — also known as the United Nations 2030 Agenda and the Green New Deal — which aims to fundamentally change the United States economy to eliminate fossil fuels and force a shift to green energy.
"Stu, what is coming, just on the Green New Deal ... every new car will be electric by 2030," Glenn explained. "If there is no gasoline-powered engine ... no gasoline-powered weed eater ... no gasoline-powered anything ... look at the stress on our electric grid in California already. Now take your coal out of the equation, reduce it by 10%, you will not be able to function," Glenn explained.
According to Glenn, the way that Americans consume will never return to they way things were. Later, he noted that White House press secretary Jen Psaki admitted that the Biden administration has used coronavirus as the catalyst to fundamentally change the U.S. economy. A change that, according to Glenn, ultimately leads the American consumer down a path of owning nothing because the government will own everything.
Watch the clip to learn more. Can't watch? Download the podcast here.
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