Small Scale Nuclear
The Collision Course:
Power Grids, AI, and Renewables
AI needs Data Centers
The need for Data Centers was already exponential. AI just added another exponent. Specialized GPU-based servers are even more power hungry than the CPU-based ones.
Robotics and Advanced Manufacturing
Factories have always consumed a lot of power. With the rise of advanced manufacturing, with power hungry robots of every type, this is exploding.
Renewables at Peak
Renewables are now set to exceed the capacity of the grid to absorb them. While this is a good thing, Power Grids are not set up to handle the load, and we still don't have a good way to store surplus energy.