🔮 Why AI, solar & batteries will keep getting cheaper

This week, I sat down with Michael Liebreich to discuss the intersection of exponential technologies, energy systems and the climate crisis on his podcast Cleaning Up. I’ve known Michael nearly twenty years. I met him just after he had founded a market research firm called New Energy Finance. He was amongst the first analysing the emerging clean energy sector and I was lucky enough to join as an investor. A few years later, Bloomberg acquired the business and BloombergNEF became an essential part of my syllabus in understanding what was happening with the energy transition. Today, Michael works as an investor, adviser and podcaster. Cleaning Up is one of my favourite podcasts, so I was quite excited to get behind the mic again.We cover:* Energy as a technology:How advancements in solar, battery storag, and artificial intelligence are transforming energy systems, shifting energy from being a finite resource to a rapidly evolving technology.* Exponential cost declines:From $190 billion for one gigaflop of compute power in 1961 to just 1.25 cents in 2023, we explore the implications of this dramatic decline on innovation and sustainability.* AI’s insatiable energy appetite:As artificial intelligence grows, so does its demand for energy. We discuss how data centers and AI workloads are reshaping global energy needs.* Upsides of big tech in climate action:The surprising role of the world’s richest companies in accelerating the energy transition through innovation and investments in clean technology.* Optimism vs. realism:A candid exploration of whether exponential trends in clean energy can meet the demands of a warming planet.Where to listen:* Right here, on Substack * Apple Podcasts* Spotify* and other major podcast platforms. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.exponentialview.co/subscribe