Where Will All That Electricity Come From? (Part 2)

Last week, I reminded readers about Winter Storm Uri in 2021, when Texans faced frozen pipes, rolling blackouts, and days without reliable power. If demand can strain the grid during extreme weather, what happens as Texas adds more residents, businesses, manufacturing, and data centers?

That question has sparked a race to find new sources of reliable power.

One Texas company attracting attention is Aalo Atomics https:// www.aalo.com/, which is building Aalo-0 in Caldwell County. The project is a full-scale, non-nuclear prototype designed to test systems that convert heat into electricity. The company’s long-term goal is to develop small modular nuclear reactors that could provide dependable power closer to where it is needed.

Two Houston-based companies are taking innovative approaches to expanding reliable energy resources. Fervo Energy is using advanced drilling techniques pioneered by the oil and gas industry to tap heat deep underground and generate geothermal power that can operate around the clock, regardless of weather conditions. Meanwhile, Sage Geosystems is developing a system that stores water underground under pressure and releases it when electricity is needed, driving turbines to generate power and effectively creating a giant underground battery. Together, these companies demonstrate how Texas innovation is leveraging existing resources and expertise to help meet the growing demand for dependable electricity.

Will any of these technologies become a major part of Texas’ energy future? No one knows yet. New energy systems take years to prove themselves and require significant investment before they can be widely deployed. What is clear, however, is that electricity is becoming one of the most important economic development issues of our time. Artificial intelligence, cloud computing, manufacturing, and population growth all depend on one thing: reliable power. The debate over artificial intelligence often focuses on computers and software. Yet the bigger story may be energy. Behind every internet search, streamed movie, online purchase, andAI question is a simple reality: none of it works without electricity. More than a century ago, communities competed for railroads because rail access meant growth and opportunity. Today, Texas may be entering a similar era, one in which access to reliable electricity becomes just as important as the railroads were for previous generations.

Lisa Musick of Praha is a writer, historian and welcomes feedback and questions via email at: lisa@lisamusick.com