The World Can't Make Enough Electricity to Power All Its Bright, Shiny Gadgets
The blunt truth.
Microsoft and Constellation Energy just made a deal to restart a nuclear reactor. Until now, the U.S. had largely abandoned nuclear power over high costs and safety concerns. Around the country, the relentless demand for artificial intelligence is driving a resurgence in natural gas and even coal.
Regardless of where you stand, it makes one thing clear. Despite what you might hear, the world is getting desperate to power all its gadgets, and it shows no signs of being able to satisfy these fairytales of endless growth.
Recently, I got curious about heavy machinery.
It’s related.
I wanted to know how close we were to powering bulldozers, forklifts, excavators, and dump trucks with electricity instead of diesel. I wanted to know how much green energy goes into manufacturing.
I found the answer:
Not much.
This question matters for a few reasons. Manufacturing consumes half of the world’s energy and generates a fifth of our carbon emissions, but that’s not even the biggest issue. We’re in …