Energy Superabundance
"Ultimately, our goal in promoting abundant energy is faster economic growth and higher standards of living."
What It’s About
Vernon & Dourado explain the transformative potential of energy superabundance, defined as a continuous power supply of 40 kilowatts per person. Energy superabundance offers things traditional environmental approaches of conservation and substitution do not: technological breakthroughs, economic growth, and higher living standards.
Upshot
Vernon & Dourado propose:
- Targeting Expanded Energy Production: Move beyond traditional renewables to exponentially increase energy generation using advanced nuclear, geothermal, and solar technologies
- Seeking Transformation of Key Sectors: Leverage abundant energy to revolutionize transportation, agriculture, and materials production through electrification and innovation
- Accomplishing These Goals Through Regulatory Reform: Reduce permitting requirements and environmental review to expedite the deployment of power plants, transmission lines, and advanced technologies
Did you know? With energy superabundance, cement production could switch from using limestone as the key input to using seawater, becoming carbon-negative in the process.
Why It Matters
Vernon & Dourado offer a right-of-center perspective and vivid imagination of energy superabundance, a sharp contrast with environmentalist norms of making do with less.
Who Wrote It
Austin Vernon is an engineer and writer in addition to his work as a Visiting Senior Fellow with the Center for Growth and Opportunity.
Eli Dourado is the Chief Economist at the Abundance Institute.