Where does the energy come from, and what is stopping it?

Solar power combined with batteries has surpassed nuclear power as the superior energy technology for most uses.

1. Noah Smith 3 Sept 2026, 09:55 UTC Because solar has, broadly speaking, won the technological race. Intermittency was the last big problem, and batteries have gotten good and cheap enough to make solar reliable.

   Economics writer; author of the Noahpinion newsletter

   Their wordsBecause solar has, broadly speaking, won the technological race. Intermittency was the last big problem, and batteries have gotten good and cheap enough to make solar reliable.

   ↗Why you won’t get a flying carnoahpinion.blog

Average solar electricity prices in sunny parts of the world will fall to one or two cents per kwh by 2030 or 2035.

1. Ramez Naam 14 May 2020 This incredible pace of solar cost decline, with average prices in sunny parts of the world down to a penny or two by 2030 or 2035, is just remarkable.

   Author and clean-energy analyst who writes on solar cost curves

   Their wordsThis incredible pace of solar cost decline, with average prices in sunny parts of the world down to a penny or two by 2030 or 2035, is just remarkable.

   ↗Solar's Future is Insanely Cheap (2020)rameznaam.com

After four more doublings of installed solar capacity, solar electricity will cost about 3 cents per kwh in the sunniest areas and 4.5 cents per kwh in moderately sunny areas.

Filed here becauseA cost forecast its author has since stepped back from — the change of mind is below.

1. Ramez Naam 14 May 2020 · held 5 years Both of those forecasts were wrong. Solar has plunged in price faster than anyone – including me – predicted.

   Author and clean-energy analyst who writes on solar cost curves

   No longer holdsBoth of those forecasts were wrong. Solar has plunged in price faster than anyone – including me – predicted.

   ↗Solar's Future is Insanely Cheap (2020)rameznaam.com

Societies have a pattern of drastically overreacting to a problem after one emotionally vivid incident, as with DDT, Y2K, and nuclear power

Filed here becauseNot about energy directly — it is about how public reaction to a vivid incident decides what a society is allowed to build, and it names nuclear power as one of its cases.

1. TC Tyler Cowen 1 Sept 2026 Yet each time, we drastically overreacted, letting ourselves get swept up in a climate of fear after one emotionally vivid incident

   Economist at George Mason University

   Their wordsYet each time, we drastically overreacted, letting ourselves get swept up in a climate of fear after one emotionally vivid incident

   ↗The Hugging Face hackmarginalrevolution.com

The binding constraint on AI is not chips but the physical plant around them — power, transformers, cooling and networking.

1. Elon Musk 29 Aug 2026, 21:17 UTC Consensus estimate is that ~15GW of AI compute produced in 2027 cannot be turned on in 2027. This is harder than just finding power, as you also need to build out all the transformers, wiring, liquid-cooling, (massive) chillers & complex networking.

   Founded SpaceX in 2002

   Their wordsConsensus estimate is that ~15GW of AI compute produced in 2027 cannot be turned on in 2027. This is harder than just finding power, as you also need to build out all the transformers, wiring, liquid-cooling, (massive) chillers & complex networking.

   ↗@elonmusk on Xx.com

Blocking data center construction in America would not slow the rate of AI progress, only the rate of AI progress in America.

1. Paul Graham 22 Aug 2026, 00:56 UTC Preventing companies from building data centers in America wouldn't slow down the rate of progress in AI. It would merely slow down the rate of progress in AI in America.

   Co-founder of Y Combinator and Viaweb

   Their wordsPreventing companies from building data centers in America wouldn't slow down the rate of progress in AI. It would merely slow down the rate of progress in AI in America.

   ↗@paulg on Xx.com

Britain has a systemic problem building large infrastructure projects, including reservoirs

1. HR Hannah Ritchie 18 Aug 2026, 06:02 UTC I think Britain has a real problem with building almost anything, from train lines to houses, and reservoirs to energy infrastructure.

   Data scientist at Our World in Data and author of Not the End of the World

   Their wordsI think Britain has a real problem with building almost anything, from train lines to houses, and reservoirs to energy infrastructure.

   ↗The UK needs to build more reservoirshannahritchie.substack.com

Data centre opposition only pushes construction to the parts of America that regulate energy and pollution least.

1. Thomas Ptacek 10 Aug 2026, 23:46 UTC It seems pretty clear that the only thing data center opposition is doing is pushing data center construction to the (many) places in America that won't regulate energy or pollution. Weird thing to pat oneself on the back for.

   Security engineer; founder of Matasano Security and Latacora

   Their wordsIt seems pretty clear that the only thing data center opposition is doing is pushing data center construction to the (many) places in America that won't regulate energy or pollution. Weird thing to pat oneself on the back for.

   ↗@tqbf on Xx.com

High per-capita energy consumption is necessary for an economy to escape poverty.

1. Noah Smith 3 Sept 2026, 09:55 UTC It’s a simple truth that if you want your economy to escape poverty, you need lots of energy consumption

   Economics writer; author of the Noahpinion newsletter

   Their wordsIt’s a simple truth that if you want your economy to escape poverty, you need lots of energy consumption

   ↗Why you won’t get a flying carnoahpinion.blog

This is Europe's independence moment: it must be able to provide its own defence and control the technology and energy its economy runs on.

1. Ursula von der Leyen 10 Sept 2025 This must be Europe's Independence Moment. I believe this is our Union's mission. To be able to take care of our own defence and security. To take control over the technologies and energies that will fuel our economies.

   President of the European Commission since 2019

   Their wordsThis must be Europe's Independence Moment. I believe this is our Union's mission. To be able to take care of our own defence and security. To take control over the technologies and energies that will fuel our economies.

   ↗2025 State of the Union Address by President von der Leyen, 10 September 2025enlargement.ec.europa.eu

The era in which Europe bought its energy from Russia, had its goods made in China and left its security to the United States is over.

1. Emmanuel Macron 25 Apr 2024 And so yes, the era when Europe bought its energy and fertilizers from Russia, had its goods manufactured in China, and delegated its security to the United States of America, is over.

   President of the French Republic since 2017

   Their wordsAnd so yes, the era when Europe bought its energy and fertilizers from Russia, had its goods manufactured in China, and delegated its security to the United States of America, is over.

   ↗Speech on Europe, Sorbonne, 25 April 2024 (Elysee English transcript)elysee.fr

Desalination for drinking and household water is cheap and uses less energy than commonly assumed.

1. HR Hannah Ritchie 31 Aug 2026, 06:05 UTC Supplying drinking and household water through desalination is really quite cheap, and uses far less energy than I’d have guessed.

   Data scientist at Our World in Data and author of Not the End of the World

   Their wordsSupplying drinking and household water through desalination is really quite cheap, and uses far less energy than I’d have guessed.

   ↗Forget more reservoirs; should the UK just build desalination plants instead?hannahritchie.substack.com

Concerns about the energy cost of an individual LLM prompt are no longer credible, though the environmental impact of the AI datacenter buildout remains a real worry.

1. HR Hannah Ritchie 6 May 2025 Unless you’re an extreme power user, asking AI questions every day is still a rounding error on your total electricity footprint.

   Data scientist at Our World in Data and author of Not the End of the World

   Their wordsUnless you’re an extreme power user, asking AI questions every day is still a rounding error on your total electricity footprint.

   ↗What's the carbon footprint of using ChatGPT?hannahritchie.substack.com

2. Simon Willison 31 Dec 2024 There’s still plenty to worry about with respect to the environmental impact of the great AI datacenter buildout, but a lot of the concerns over the energy cost of individual prompts are no longer credible.

   Co-creator of Django and creator of Datasette

   Their wordsThere’s still plenty to worry about with respect to the environmental impact of the great AI datacenter buildout, but a lot of the concerns over the energy cost of individual prompts are no longer credible.

   ↗Things we learned about LLMs in 2024simonwillison.net