Abundance Institute

Fear is costing us our future. While technology holds the power to transform our economy and lives, we often throttle technological breakthroughs before they can fulfill their life-changing potential. Fueled by a mix of cultural anxieties and policy challenges, this fear-based approach risks denying humans an abundant future. To overcome this, we must shift the popular narrative from pessimism to optimism. We must focus on the societal and policy barriers AI, energy, and other emerging technologies face. How will we do this? ➡️ Invest in talent development and talent assembly ➡️ Support a community of optimists, founders, and innovators ➡️ Shape public policies before emerging technologies go mainstream ➡️ Shift the popular narrative from pessimism to optimism How different would today’s discussions of AI be if we had started better conversations 10 years earlier? And how different will it be for other frontier technologies on the horizon? It’s time for everyone to see the good. Join our mailing list to stay in touch: https://lnkd.in/dkBDwPqr

I heard Sunday that Utah is likely to run a balcony solar legalization bill! When I wrote about balcony solar, the most useful review was this article. It includes a model, open source software system that could be used in permitting. In the long run, we should have balcony solar in SolarAPP+, if anything is required at all. https://lnkd.in/gnP964fH If you want a quick overview of what I'd want in a palatable balcony solar package: - State legislatures explicitly approve balcony solar systems with a required UL 1741 inverter - Advise caution about overloading - Explicitly reject the need for a permit (akin to Germany's approach) - If above 1500W, then require a dedicated outlet (maybe a higher voltage outlet too, think GismoPower-like 240V) If you're interested, here's what I wrote: https://lnkd.in/g6wbQ-Cy The central takeaway is that there aren't sizable risks. If you want to be extra cautious, then you can require simple restrictions on it. For example, dedicate an outlet to the balcony solar system--such as an outdoor outlet that is unlikely to get overloaded. Keeping the system under 1500kW likely makes sense. After talking with the Plugged Solar team, I think the chief barrier is that balcony solar needs socialization. Plug-and-play became a goal for rooftop and plugging into an outlet was ignored because people were thinking about much larger installations that would overwhelm the home's wiring (see the 2011 DOE Sunshot meeting notes, for example). Plugged Solar told me that they face lots of scrutiny (likely a big reason that they've stayed small). Achim Ginsberg-Klemmt and the other folks at Gismo Power will also have some input on this--they're not balcony solar, but have had similar problems that any balcony solar reform should wrap together.

Small modular reactors hold the key to a cleaner, more reliable energy future—but the NRC’s overreach remains a major barrier to nuclear innovation. As Christopher Koopman and Eli Dourado write in The Wall Street Journal, a new legal challenge could finally give SMRs the green light they deserve. How SMRs can finally transform America’s energy landscape—

Can America build big things again? Yes write Christopher Koopman and Josh Smith in the New York Post where they outline a bold path to cut red tape and unleash faster, transformative energy infrastructure. America’s energy future is waiting to be seized. By revolutionizing how we develop energy infrastructure, we could unleash economic growth, secure global leadership, and prove that we can still build big, fast, and smart. The key? American Abundance Zones. Imagine federal lands transformed into hubs of energy innovation—solar farms, nuclear plants, wind turbines, grid-scale batteries—where projects can go from idea to implementation without being buried in endless permitting delays or litigation. The barrier? The outdated and overgrown National Environmental Policy Act, which too often stifles progress while competitors like China race ahead. The solution? Bold leadership at the Department of the Interior, the EPA, and the Department of Energy to streamline approvals, standardize reviews, and pre-clear land for energy projects. These zones wouldn’t just create energy—they’d create jobs, economic resilience, and the foundation for transformative technologies like AI, desalination, and vertical farming. Let’s not just talk about America’s potential. Let’s build it. No decade-long reviews. No lawsuits. Just energy, innovation, and progress—at American speed.

As we close out another year of AI-induced headlines and hand-wringing, it’s worth remembering: we’ve seen this before. Innovation always comes with panic, but history has a way of settling these debates.

Vetocracy. Overregulation. Protectionism. These are the enemies of innovation. As Eli Dourado argued at this year's Roots of Progress Institute Progress Conference, "ideas aren’t getting harder to find; they’re getting harder to use, thanks to the three rules put on innovation." Check out Packy McCormick's great summary of Eli's talk at Not Boring: https://lnkd.in/gwD2gkVP

I'm no Aram Gavoor, but I will do my best to step in to moderate this excellent panel. Don't miss the chance to hear from Neil Chilson (Abundance Institute), Satya T. (Americans for Responsible Innovation), and Adam Thierer (R Street Institute) next Tuesday. Thanks to the Regulatory Transparency Project / The Federalist Society for facilitating a meaningful deep dive into this important topic. Register here: https://lnkd.in/ehG2uDme

What if we could create a world where #clean_energy and groundbreaking technologies like AI thrive without being bogged down by unnecessary regulations? That’s precisely the kind of future Taylor Barkley, Public Policy Director at the Abundance Institute, is working toward. Taylor recently spoke on C-SPAN's Washington Journal about unlocking innovation and abundance by cutting red tape and letting creativity lead the way. His insights drive home what we’re about at Abundance: making it easier for advanced #nuclear, #geothermal, and #AI technologies to change lives. The Abundance Institute focuses on creating policies that help technologies flourish—not hold them back. If you’re as passionate about innovation as we are, check out Taylor’s full interview here: https://lnkd.in/eJRQNr4y

AI policy isn’t new, but it’s never been more urgent. Neil Chilson joined the Federal Drive with Tom Temin to reflect on the evolution of AI—and warn against missteps that could hobble the industry. Full interview here: https://lnkd.in/gcP2mjsA