I think a lot about how important cheap, safe, and abundant energy is to our future. A lot of problems—economic, environmental, war, poverty, food and water availability, bad side effects of globalization, etc.—are deeply related to the energy problem.
I believe that if you could choose one single technological development to help the most people in the world, radically better energy generation is probably it. Throughout history, quality of life has gone up as the cost of energy has gone down.
The 20th century was the century of carbon-based energy. I am confident the 22nd century is going to be the century of atomic energy (i.e. terrestrial atomic generation and energy relatively directly from the sun’s fusion). [1] I am unsure how the majority of the 21st century will be powered, but I’d like to help get things moving.
Although a lot of people are working on solar, I don’t think enough people are working on terrestrial-based atomic energy, which has major advantages when it comes to cost, density, and predictability.
Given the potential importance, I’m making an exception to my normal policy of not joining YC boards for Helion Energy and UPower. Both of these companies went through YC about a year ago. Helion is working on fusion and UPower is working on fission; I’ve looked at many companies working on both and think these are the two best. I’ll be the chairman of both companies and I’m also investing in the seed/A rounds for both companies. [2]
Both companies hope to have a test reactor operating in a few years, and both companies are hiring. If you’re interested in working on this, please get in touch.
[1] I’m unsure of is what the split between sun-generated (I’m just going to call it solar but I use it to include wind and biofuels) and terrestrial-generated will be. There will only be one cheapest source of energy, and history suggests whatever that is will be fairly dominant. So it will probably be 80/20 one way or the other.
[2] I will save my thoughts about traditional technology investors being afraid to touch expensive, long-term, high-risk high-reward projects for another time. A lot of people talk about the need to try new things that are hard but could have huge impact; it’s important to not just talk about them but to act. I think it’s easier for individual investors to do this than for venture funds, at least given how they are currently structured.
I don’t think investors are doing nearly enough to fund atomic energy. With the exception of China, new fission development has effectively stopped and very few plants have been built in recent memory. Fission has been a remarkably safe and effective power source while generating 11% of the world’s electricity—the first time I saw the data on the safety data of fission energy relative to other power sources, I thought there was an error.
On the fusion side, only about four US fusion companies have raised venture capital in the past few decades. The big government projects, like NIF and ITER, unfortunately have the feel of peacetime big government projects.
Plantagenet on Sun, 5th Jul 2015 11:33 am
Curious how Mr. Altman never considers the likelihood that natural gas will play a huge role in the future energy mix. He must have missed it when Obama told the nation in 2012 that we have a 100 year supply of NG, and that NG would play a growing role in the US economy.
jjhman on Sun, 5th Jul 2015 12:41 pm
I have to agree that this video is waaay off topic for a website supposedly about enery issues.
However it’s hard not to comment. Probably the US participation in WW2 was pretty near our finest moment and,yes, we were dragged in kicking and screaming. Our major accomplishments in that war were destroying the Japanese empire because they were worse rascist bastards than the Germans of the time. Our contribution to freedom in Europe was not in defeating the Nazis. That was about 90% a Russian accomplishment. What we did, and I supect was our primary objective, was stop the Russians in the middle of Germany instead of at Lisbon.
I doubt that we have exported much “freedom” since. Whenever the US has gotten involved with the internal politics of another country since then it has been a clusterfuck with the possible exceptions of Korea, which was a UN operation mostly paid for by the US and the operation in Yugoslavia which proved that the only worse internationalists than the US are the craven Europeans.
What the US has done in the last 50 years is provide more quick relief to victims of natural disasters than any other country by far, thanks to our massive military presence world wide. But that’s not “freedom”.
jjhman on Sun, 5th Jul 2015 12:42 pm
Sorry I posted this on the wrong story.
Jimmy on Sun, 5th Jul 2015 12:52 pm
You’re off your meds again Plant. FYI- you’ve been going on about Obama and his 100 years of gas thing for a few days now. Even mentioning when it’s irrelevant to the topic. Before that it was the glut thing you wouldn’t shut up about. You certainly seem like a stupid motherfucker.
Outcast_Searcher on Sun, 5th Jul 2015 12:52 pm
Unfortunately, NO single technological innovation (or combination of them) will “save” us for more than the short term.
What humans need to do is grasp and accept the implications of limits to growth, and voluntarily scale back the population and consumption footprint of humans.
Given how short a time we have to do that (i.e. AGW and pollution) and how far this seems to go against human nature — sadly, the odds that this happens in time seem negligable.
So dream of a world powered about clean fusion and solar and providing 10x the energy available today. Fine — this just buys humans time to expand growth and consumption until the next big obstacle hits. (Food, water, pollution , something else?)
Davy on Sun, 5th Jul 2015 1:08 pm
JJ-Man, If the friggen Russian would not have allowed their loony Stalin to shit can the best of their officer class in the 30’s then asshole Hitler would have been stopped in his tracks pronto at the border. JJ-Man, when I say shit can I mean shot in the head shit canning. I don’t mean told to leave the army. Instead Stalin posted loyal communist ass kissers that did not know a thing about fighting. The whole army was probably drunk and unable to form any kind of defense when the Germans invaded. So how about that point of view JJ-man? Russian incompetence is responsible for millions of deaths.
I hear allot of anti-Americans bitch moan and complain about revisionism of history by Americans when they themselves are practicing the same art of being dumbasses about the reality of history. Why the frig do we have to have these articles that awaken all the filth anyway? What is it about sites like this that we must have anger and hatred focused and fomented? Is it because it is more powerful than a drug and addictive. Yes, I am guilty as charged because I choose to fight the asshole anti-Americans here on this site. If you numb-nuts could be fair and balanced I would turn a blind eye to it.
apneaman on Sun, 5th Jul 2015 2:07 pm
jjhman, nicely put and appreciate seeing someone else who recognizes that history, like people, is gray.
Plantagenet on Sun, 5th Jul 2015 3:20 pm
@JImmy
Your suggestion that natural gas “is irrelevant to the topic” is incredibly ignorant.
In actuality NG is palys a major role in the US energy system, and that role in increasing, just as President obama predicted.
Energy Investor on Sun, 5th Jul 2015 4:58 pm
Plant…
If we continue to ramp up the use of natural gas then it probably won’t be a major force in the 22nd century.
Energy Investor on Sun, 5th Jul 2015 5:15 pm
But Sam has missed the crucial point. The world has more energy than it can ever use, but what humanity lacks is portability for energy.
Even a few tons of coal could power ships over the seas, and oil and its derivatives power planes and cars over long distances. Battery technology on the other hand is not up to the mark and hydrogen is also problematic at this point.
If we can’t develop hugely scalable energy storage systems for electricity that have a usable energy density of over 300whrs per kg of weight…then the vision Sam has of the 22nd century still won’t work.
Davy on Sun, 5th Jul 2015 5:22 pm
EI, I quite taking Sam serious when I read the 22nd century in his thought process. We have serious issues now with the 2020’s looking precarious and the dude is taking 22nd century????? That is not visionary that is delusional.
Plantagenet on Sun, 5th Jul 2015 5:25 pm
@Energy Investor
We aren’t living in the 22nd century. This is the 21st century C.E.
I appreciate your concern about the 22nd century, but lets see how the energy mix develops through the 21 century first, OK?
CHEERS!
Makati1 on Sun, 5th Jul 2015 8:15 pm
I read the article until I realized that it was another fairy tale about fusion energy.
Baptised on Mon, 6th Jul 2015 12:45 pm
JJHman I really enjoyed your comment, a lot of true history. Except we nuked a beaten Japan, with no ability to fight left at all, all we had to do was wait for them to surrender, they were done no threat and starving. But read history about Russia/Japan war years earlier. But back to WW2 You see Russia was sending everything that had toward Japan and they were going to take the Japanese land/islands and USA could not have any part of that. So a political move killed thousands in the most horrible way.
Davy on Mon, 6th Jul 2015 12:53 pm
It is so wonderful how you guys rewrite the history of WWII. Now that world history has been rewritten and you guys have enjoyed each other’s companionship. All is honky and dory and we can hold hands and feel good about life. Let’s get on with real life and the darkness we are facing.
GregT on Mon, 6th Jul 2015 1:08 pm
“A lot of problems—economic, environmental, war, poverty, food and water availability, bad side effects of globalization, etc.—are deeply related to the energy problem.”
Should read:
A lot of problems—economic, environmental, war, poverty, food and water availability, bad side effects of globalization, etc.—are deeply related to mankind’s energy addiction.
apneaman on Mon, 6th Jul 2015 1:28 pm
5 insane facts about how America has gotten bigger
How America’s food, cars, chickens and more have grown in past decades
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2015/07/04/the-unbelievable-growth-of-americans-food-bodies-houses-and-cars-visualized/
apneaman on Mon, 6th Jul 2015 3:49 pm
Simply not eating all that shit could save untold amounts of grief and money.
/////////////////////////////////////
How new drugs helping millions of Americans live longer are also making them go broke
Half a million Americans now take $50,000 in prescription drugs per year. Who ultimately pays the cost?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2015/06/30/how-new-drugs-helping-millions-of-americans-live-longer-are-also-making-them-go-broke/
Baptised on Tue, 7th Jul 2015 12:47 pm
I fast 4 days every month and eat marginally healthy. I am 56 and ride bicycles & workout with 20 year olds. I am not complaining it is just we are killing our self with the good life.
Baptised on Tue, 7th Jul 2015 1:01 pm
JJHman I agree with you on how crazy and cruel the Japs. were compared to Germans. I have known prisoner’s of war under each of those and the difference was night and day. It is really scary how much power their emperor had over them, even mentally.
Davy on Tue, 7th Jul 2015 1:27 pm
Damn, Baptised, we have something in common. I am in my early 50’s. I fast every Monday and Thursday. I ride my bike and lift weights on those days. I find fasting is an excellent way to realize the power that food has over us. It is interesting to work all day with no food then work out for an hour. I will admit at times I get temperamental from fasting. For all you doomer and preppers out there I highly recommend this as a basic for your preparations for a food insecure future where hard physical effort will still be required.