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The Path Forward

 

The Path Forward

One final photograph in the series of images I’ve posted over the last weeks. I call it “The Path Forward” because, as I edited it, I found myself thinking about our (meaning the Earth’s) future, climate change, and artificial intelligence. That got me to ask Chat GPT (there’s irony here, somewhere) what would happen to our electrical infrastructure if the US was to invest what is now predicted to be 1 Trillion US dollars in AI and instead use that money to build up our electrical grid and develop renewable forms of electricity. I think the answer is worth a short read:

Q: Approximately, what impact would investment of one trillion US dollars have on renewable energy infrastructure in the United States, and how quickly could that investment be realized in improvements to the electrical grid and reduction in greenhouse gas emissions? Assume 40% to renewables, 20% to storage, and 40% to grid improvements.

ChatGPT: With $400B to generation (60% solar / 40% wind), $200B to storage, and $400B to the grid, you could add ~329 GW of renewables, ~500–1,000 GWh of battery storage, and major transmission/distribution upgrades (Ultra High Voltage DC grid) — yielding roughly ~320 million tonnes CO₂ avoided per year once fully built, with meaningful reductions visible within 1–3 years and full system integration taking several to ~10+ years depending on transmission and permitting.

Seems like a pretty reasonable ROI, in my opinion.