Category: Energy

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Energy Government

Deep Dive: Why MNRs Might Save America’s Economy (If We Don’t Screw It Up)

By 2030, U.S. electricity demand from AI and data centers is projected to more than double—yet our power grid is already struggling. Let’s be honest: America’s energy infrastructure is on the brink under the weight of its own ambition. AI. Data centers. Electrification of everything. It’s a digital arms race—and the grid? It’s running Windows 95.

Enter the three-letter acronym that’s got Silicon Valley, Capitol Hill, and a few hedge fund bros buzzing: MNR—Modular Nuclear Reactors. They’re small, they’re modular, and they might just be the most important economic tool America has in the next 25 years. That is, if we don’t let red tape and political gridlock bury them.

The Case for MNRs: Why This Isn’t Just Another “Green Tech” Fad

Big Tech gets it. Amazon just dropped half a billion on MNRs—Modular Nuclear Reactors, compact next-gen power sources that are scalable, clean, and designed to meet massive energy demands. Microsoft and Google aren’t far behind. Why? Because the AI arms race is sucking up insane amounts of power—power that solar and wind alone can’t deliver, especially when the sun sets or the wind dies. Data centers need clean, stable, 24/7 juice. MNRs provide just that.

But this isn’t just about tech giants hedging their climate bets. It’s about economic survival. If America doesn’t solve its energy crunch, we won’t just lose AI leadership—we’ll lose manufacturing, semiconductors, national security. Everything.

Timing is Everything—and That’s the Problem

Here’s the rub: these reactors won’t come online until the early to mid-2030s. Amazon is aiming for 5 gigawatts by 2039. That’s great—but that’s a decade away. Can we wait that long?

Short answer: no. The U.S. needs stopgaps—renewables, natural gas, even old-school nukes—to bridge the gap. And here’s the common-sense part politicians keep ignoring: stop shutting down reliable sources of electricity until the replacements are actually up and running. Natural gas will have to carry a lot of the load in the meantime. It’s clean enough, scalable, and reliable. If we kill off baseload power before we’ve built the next-gen grid, we’re not going green—we’re going dark.

Policy vs. Politics: Washington, Don’t Blow This

MNRs are stuck in bureaucratic purgatory. Licensing is a nightmare. The tech is real—but the regulators are still living in a Three Mile Island mindset. Meanwhile, China’s already racing ahead with next-gen reactors.

This should be bipartisan. Red states love energy independence. Blue states love clean tech. Yet here we are, watching the DOE throw money at pilot projects while local permitting boards fight over who gets the parking lot.

And yes, there are critics. The Stanford crowd says MNRs produce more waste. The NRDC screams “unproven!” But here’s the thing: doing nothing is far riskier. Without MNRs, we’re talking rolling blackouts, GDP hits, and letting China eat our lunch.

Energy Abundance = Economic Dominance

This isn’t just an energy story. It’s an economic strategy. As BlackRock CEO Larry Fink recently noted, “Nations that can secure clean, reliable energy at scale will win the 21st century.”

– Want to re-shore advanced manufacturing? You’ll need MNRs.
– Want AI to be America’s moonshot moment? Power it with MNRs.
– Want real energy independence? You can’t get there without nuclear.

This is industrial policy 2.0. Not with subsidies and central planning, but by creating an abundant, clean, stable energy base that the private sector can scale. MNRs are the new foundation for American dynamism.

The Bridge to the Future: Renewables + Nuclear + Natural Gas

Look, MNRs aren’t silver bullets. But they are the missing link in a realistic clean energy transition.

You need solar and wind? Absolutely. But they’re intermittent. You need battery storage? Great—if it ever scales affordably. In the meantime, natural gas remains critical. It keeps the lights on, stabilizes the grid, and buys us the time we need to build out the future.

And again—don’t tear down what works until what’s next actually works. That’s not politics. That’s physics.

Final Thought: This is America’s Sputnik Moment

If we get this right, MNRs become the bedrock of the next American century—clean power, economic strength, global leadership.

If we blow it?

We’ll be importing Chinese AI chips, powering them with Chinese rare earths, while fighting rolling brownouts and watching our GDP flatline.

Let’s not let that happen. Let’s build—just like we did with the Apollo program. When America leads, the world follows. This is our energy moonshot moment, and it’s time to rise to it.

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Energy Macro Economics

Speculating on Raoul Pal’s Singular Economy: A Wildly Positive Vision for Everyday American Life by 2030, Featuring Jane

It’s a “Free for All Friday,” and we’re diving into a speculative whirlwind to explore what Raoul Pal’s “singular economy” could mean for the typical American by 2030. Pal’s vision of the Economic Singularity—a tipping point where AI, robotics, and renewable energy make traditional economic models obsolete—promises a world of radical abundance. To bring this to life, we’ll follow Jane, a relatable 35-year-old from suburban Ohio, whose daily existence becomes a near-utopian adventure in this transformative era. We’ll anchor the optimism in Pal’s heavyweight credentials and let crazy-positive what-ifs run wild, imagining a future where Jane’s life is a vibrant canvas of possibility.

Raoul Pal’s Credentials

Raoul Pal isn’t spinning sci-fi yarns—he’s a macroeconomics powerhouse with a proven eye for seismic trends. As co-founder and CEO of Real Vision, he’s built a platform that brings high-level financial insights to the masses. He also heads Global Macro Investor, a research service dissecting global economic shifts. Pal’s career began at Goldman Sachs, managing hedge fund sales in equities and derivatives, before he ran GLG Partners’ hedge fund business. He’s famous for calling megatrends early, like the crypto surge of the 2010s, blending hard data with bold foresight. His focus on exponential tech—Moore’s Law for chips, Wright’s Law for renewables—and his deep dives into AI and energy markets give his “singular economy” concept real heft. When Pal predicts an economy where costs collapse and abundance rules, it’s backed by decades of finance expertise and pattern-spotting savvy.

Meet Jane: A Bio

Jane Miller is our lens into this future—a fictional but grounded 35-year-old living in suburban Columbus, Ohio, in 2030. Born in 1995, she grew up in a middle-class family, the daughter of a nurse and a high school teacher. Jane studied marketing at Ohio State, graduating in 2017, and spent her 20s as a coordinator for a mid-sized ad agency, crafting campaigns for local businesses. She’s single, no kids, but close with her parents and a tight-knit group of friends. Before the singular economy hit, Jane’s life was typical: a modest apartment, a used Honda, and a love for yoga, indie music, and binge-watching sci-fi. She’s curious but not a tech nerd—more practical than visionary, with a knack for connecting with people. By 2030, the Economic Singularity has upended her world, turning her from a 9-to-5 worker into a creative force navigating a landscape of abundance. Jane’s story reflects how an ordinary American might thrive in an extraordinary era, balancing new possibilities with relatable human quirks.

A Crazy-Positive Vision for Jane’s Life in the Singular Economy

In 2030, Jane’s world is a dazzling product of the singular economy’s promise. Pal’s forecast of plummeting costs—energy, computing, production—creates a life where scarcity’s a forgotten concept, and Jane’s days are a playground for creativity and joy. Here’s how the Economic Singularity transforms her routine, with wildly optimistic what-ifs pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.

Morning: A Personal Renaissance

Jane wakes in a home that’s a marvel of the singular economy. Built by robotic 3D printers for the cost of a used car, her house in suburban Columbus is self-sustaining—solar panels and fusion micro-reactors make energy free, powering her lights, appliances, and AI assistant. No longer just a gadget, her AI is a creative collaborator, curating a morning to spark inspiration. It brews coffee, serves breakfast from her backyard hydroponic garden (grown for pennies), and suggests a new passion project—maybe composing music with AI tools or designing a virtual art gallery. The crazy what-if? Jane’s AI is a personal Da Vinci, helping her write a novel before lunch or master quantum physics via neural-streamed MIT courses, all free. Her marketing degree feels quaint now; she’s a lifelong learner, diving into passions her 20s couldn’t afford. Mornings aren’t about rushing—they’re a daily rebirth of curiosity, where creating is as routine as her yoga stretches.

Work: Creators Rule the World

Jane’s old marketing job is extinct—AI handles ads, analytics, everything. But in the singular economy, that’s a gift. She’s a “world-builder,” designing immersive VR experiences (think Star Wars meets choose-your-own-adventure) that millions enjoy globally, earning crypto tokens in a decentralized economy. Her creativity, once confined to client briefs, now shapes worlds. The wild what-if? Every American’s a creator, with AI as their apprentice. Jane’s neighbor, a former truck driver, crafts viral AI-generated comedies; her barista friend runs a metaverse café. Universal Creative Income (UCI), funded by taxes on automated industries, ensures nobody’s left behind—Jane’s stipend lets her experiment without fear. Work’s no ladder to climb; it’s a canvas. She collaborates with global creators, her Ohio roots blending with a borderless vibe, and every project feels like play, not labor.

Daily Life: Abundance as a Lifestyle

Scarcity’s a myth for Jane. Her fridge restocks via drones—lab-grown steak, exotic fruits, cheaper than a candy bar in her college days. Her wardrobe’s a digital wonder: nanotech fabrics shapeshift into styles downloaded from open-source designs, a far cry from her old mall runs. The crazier what-if? Consumption’s now co-creation. Jane invents—a levitating yoga mat, maybe—and shares it on a global platform, earning kudos and tokens. Travel’s effortless: hypersonic pods zip her to Tokyo for dinner (cost: a few bucks), or she teleports to a Martian colony simulation for a date. Healthcare’s seamless—nanobots monitor her vitals, curing ailments before symptoms, covered by a national abundance fund. Jane’s life is a buffet of experiences, no bills to dread. Her sci-fi binges from her 20s feel prophetic—she’s living the future, curating moments over chasing stuff.

Community: A Global Village of Dreamers

Jane’s social life is electric, powered by dirt-cheap connectivity. She’s tight with friends from Nairobi to a lunar base, co-hosting mixed-reality festivals with AI-generated music and holographic art, enjoyed by millions for free. The wildest what-if? Americans form “imagination collectives”—blockchain-powered DAOs for dream projects. Jane’s collective crowdfunds a floating community garden that purifies Columbus’s air, and her role as a vibe curator earns global fans. Inequality’s gone: the singular economy’s wealth—data, IP, renewables—is shared via decentralized systems. Nobody’s a billionaire, but everyone’s rich in time. Her town hosts weekly “idea jams,” where kids and retirees pitch inventions like gravity-defying skateparks. Jane, once shy at parties, now thrives in a global village where her warmth shapes a celebratory community.

The Big Win: Time to Be Human

The ultimate what-if: the singular economy frees Jane to redefine humanity. With survival needs met—food, shelter, health abundant—she’s got endless time to explore. She’s sculpting with light, debating philosophy with AI tutors, or mentoring kids in a virtual Amazon rainforest. Crime’s down (abundance kills desperation), and mental health soars—AI therapists are as common as the apps she used to scroll. Jane’s not chasing status; she’s chasing meaning. Her old worries—student loans, job security—are ancient history. The singular economy makes her a philosopher-poet-explorer, living in a world where tech amplifies soul, not stress. Every day’s a chance to grow, connect, and dream bigger, her Ohio heart now beating for a boundless future.

Why This Feels (Kinda) Plausible

Pal’s vision isn’t pure fantasy—his credentials make it tangible. Real Vision thrives on unpacking trends like AI’s exponential growth and renewables’ cost collapse (solar’s down 80% in a decade). He called crypto booms years early, and his finance pedigree—Goldman, GLG—shows he gets how money flows. The singular economy’s rooted in data: tech costs are cratering, production’s automating, energy’s democratizing. This crazy-positive spin skips glitches—tech fails, cultural pushback—but Pal’s point is abundance is near. His trend-spotting makes Jane’s utopia feel like a few breakthroughs away, a world where every American’s a creator, not a cog.

In this Free for All Friday fever dream, Jane Miller’s life—a blend of her grounded Ohio roots and the singular economy’s wild promise—shows what’s possible when abundance rules. From her marketing days to her role as a world-builder, she’s living Pal’s vision: an America where time, not money, is the ultimate currency, and every day’s a chance to reinvent what it means to be human.

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Energy

America’s Energy Resurrection: A Supply-Side Blueprint for the AI Age

By any rational measure, America is in an energy crisis of its own making—a self-inflicted wound caused by bureaucratic inertia, regulatory overreach, and a tragic neglect of the greatest growth lever in the modern economy: power. The rise of AI has made one thing absolutely clear—we are not constrained by silicon anymore. We’re constrained by supply. Supply of electrons. Supply of courage. Supply of American will.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

We can win this. But only if we return to our founding economic principles: pro-growth, pro-investment, low-tax, lightly regulated, and innovation-driven policies that put the private sector in the driver’s seat. supply-side energy policy built on incentives, private-sector leadership, and innovation unfettered by red tape. That means unleashing the tools already in our toolbox to build the grid of the future—fast, cheap, and smart.

Step One: Mobilize Private Capital

The Investment Tax Credit (ITC) has proven to be one of the most effective market-based energy accelerants in decades. It has turned American rooftops and empty fields into solar farms, and it has attracted billions in long-term investment. Extend it. Make it transferable. And pair it with bold support for next-generation storage technologies—solid-state batteries, thermal storage, and flow batteries that can stabilize AI workloads around the clock.

Step Two: Unleash the Gas Renaissance

We need dispatchable power, now. Natural gas is the bridge to the AI future, and it can be cleaner, faster, and smarter. The private sector already has designs in play for modular, turbine-ready facilities with water rights and land cleared—some in states like Indiana, with scalable footprints from 420MW to multiple gigawatts. What’s missing? Speed. A moonshot supply-side program to slash turbine backlogs, fast-track pipeline approvals, and eliminate the permitting bottlenecks that keep us stuck in neutral.

Step Three: Permit Everything That Works

There are tens of thousands of energy projects sitting in limbo. Each day they wait is a day America loses ground to China. We need a 90-day permit mandate for viable energy assets. We need AI-driven systems that can cut the bureaucratic churn, identify shovel-ready projects, and move them forward. Combine that with energy zones on federal land and an “approve unless proven otherwise” model, while instituting safeguards to evaluate and address environmental impacts and incorporate local stakeholder feedback wherever feasible, and we’ll be laying transmission line faster than regulators can write memos.

Step Four: Train the Workforce of the Future

Energy is jobs. Energy is education. We need a human capital revival. Expand vocational schools. Cancel debt for STEM grads who enter the energy sector. Partner with innovators to deploy virtual reality and AI simulators for faster, better training. We need 500,000 new energy workers in five years. This initiative could be funded through a combination of federal matching grants, industry-backed apprenticeship programs, and state-level education incentives tied to workforce demand. Public-private partnerships and tax credits for companies that sponsor energy-sector training would accelerate adoption and scale. Let’s get to it.

Step Five: Reignite American Nuclear

Nuclear is the crown jewel of base-load power. Let’s get serious. One-year approval windows for existing plants. Fast-track SMRs. And finally, put real money behind fusion and thorium. This isn’t a luxury—this is the foundation of a stable, high-capacity grid that can run AI 24/7 with zero emissions.

Step Six: Fund the Leap, Not the Lag

We need innovation that leaps ahead, not incrementalism that preserves the status quo. That means full-throttle investment in advanced geothermal, hydrogen blending, high-altitude wind, and new forms of energy-dense storage. Proprietary hybrid systems already in deployment are hitting power densities that redefine the game—with rack-based modular systems generating 10kW to 400kW at a fraction of the cost and footprint. That’s the future.

Step Seven: Prioritize the AI Grid

AI data centers must be treated as critical infrastructure. That means guaranteed power, priority in siting, and immediate grid upgrades—while ensuring that these advancements do not divert critical resources from existing infrastructure or underserved communities. Balanced implementation and transparent planning will help minimize unintended consequences and preserve public trust. Superconducting lines. Smart grids. Digitally-managed load shifting. And vertically integrated buildouts that control everything from silicon to substations. We’re not waiting for Washington—we’re building now.

Let’s be clear: this is Reaganomics for the Energy Age—an approach rooted in tax incentives, deregulation, pro-business policies, and a deep belief in the power of the private sector to drive prosperity and innovation. It echoes the bold vision of President Donald J. Trump, who reminded us that “a nation that can’t control its own energy can’t control its own destiny.” This is America First applied to the power grid—securing our economic future by putting U.S. energy production, technology, and jobs ahead of foreign dependence and global bureaucracies.—an approach rooted in tax incentives, deregulation, pro-business policies, and a deep belief in the power of the private sector to drive prosperity and innovation. Incentivize supply. Unleash innovation. Get Washington out of the way. The rest will follow.

America’s energy renaissance starts here. The spark has been lit. Now it’s time to scale it into a bonfire of growth, jobs, and national renewal.