The transition to clean energy is accelerating

We have never seen energy technologies like solar and wind before. For the first time in history, we can manufacture the generation of energy. Once built, solar and wind equipment cost very little to operate. In other words, they are basically zero marginal cost electron sources.

Each energy transition has enabled massive improvements to existing materials (wrought iron and later steel made using coal), created entirely new materials (polymers from oil-refined petrochemicals) and/or made low-cost manufacturing viable at scale (aluminum using electricity).

Take solar since 1976. On average, module deployed capacity grew almost 40% per year while costs have fallen over 12% per year.

More so than crypto mining helping the grid, there will be more and more industries with high-electricity operating costs looking to use the cheapest, cleanest energy available. Colocating these high power users with the clean power plants helps create more demand for clean energy, without making interconnection queues worse or requiring more trans... See more

Early on in an energy transition, there is often more attention on how well they can do existing things. Examples include how well coal could heat and oil and electricity could light. But the larger impact for any energy transition, like other new technologies, is to enable us to do brand new things.

I found something else surprising about previous energy transitions. Each one later enabled new modes of transport and new materials which were very hard to conceive of during its early phases. In each of the past transitions, the energy source unlocked new distribution technologies and materials that helped drive more adoption for the energy sourc... See more