POWERING PROSPERITY

As a former county commissioner and someone who has considered serving in the United States Senate, I have spent years focused on practical solutions that strengthen families, create jobs, and build economic resilience. Few issues matter more than energy. Affordable, reliable electricity underpins manufacturing, small businesses, agriculture, healthcare, and daily life. Without it, costs rise, opportunities shrink, and communities suffer. We must reject ideological constraints and embrace pragmatic innovation. The future of electrical energy demands efficient, scalable sources that deliver power where needed without bankrupting consumers or hollowing out industry. 

We cannot rely solely on expanding large hydroelectric dams. Suitable river sites are limited, and environmental concerns rightly constrain new mega-projects. Intermittent renewables like wind and solar, while part of a diverse mix, have proven challenging at scale. Germany's Energiewende offers a cautionary tale. The aggressive push toward renewables led to sharp rises in household electricity prices, often cited in public debate as multiplying costs significantly while energy-intensive industries faced competitive disadvantages. Wholesale prices fluctuated dramatically, and high costs contributed to deindustrialization pressures, with companies relocating or curtailing operations. Even as some prices moderated later, the episode highlighted the pitfalls of over-reliance on weather-dependent sources without sufficient baseload backup. Germany continues grappling with affordability and industrial competitiveness. 

America can learn from this. We need firm, dispatchable power that operates around the clock, independent of wind or sunshine. Two promising pathways stand out: advanced modular nuclear reactors and emerging ocean wave energy technologies. Both offer hope for abundant, affordable electricity that stimulates growth rather than stifling it.

Small Modular Reactors: Localized Power for a Distributed Economy

Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) represent a transformative evolution in nuclear technology. Unlike traditional large-scale plants requiring massive upfront investment and vast infrastructure, SMRs are factory-built, compact units that can be transported and assembled on-site. Capacities typically range from tens to hundreds of megawatts, allowing incremental deployment as demand grows. 

Their greatest advantage is siting flexibility. SMRs require smaller footprints and can be located near industrial parks, data centers, military bases, or remote communities reducing the need for expensive new transmission lines and substations. This decentralization cuts costs and enhances grid resilience. Many designs incorporate passive safety features, enhancing security and simplifying regulation. Multiple units can operate together for larger needs or independently for targeted applications. 

Development is accelerating. In the United States and globally, projects advance with government and private support. Designs from companies like NuScale, and international efforts, target commercial operation in the late 2020s and early 2030s. States across political lines are enacting supportive policies, recognizing SMRs' role in meeting surging demand from electrification, AI, and manufacturing. Nuclear already provides the most reliable carbon-free electricity, with unmatched capacity factors. SMRs extend these benefits more broadly. 

Economically, SMRs promise lower capital costs per project and faster construction through standardization. They create high-skilled jobs in manufacturing, engineering, and operations. For rural America, an SMR could anchor economic development—powering factories, attracting investment, and stabilizing local grids without dependence on distant utilities. By enabling co-location with users, they minimize losses and support energy-intensive industries that have fled high-cost regions elsewhere.

Critics raise waste and safety concerns, but modern designs address these through advanced fuels, smaller inventories, and robust containment. Decades of safe U.S. nuclear operation provide confidence. With thoughtful policy streamlining licensing while maintaining rigorous standards, SMRs can deploy safely and swiftly.

Harvesting the Ocean's Power: Wave Energy Innovation 

Complementing nuclear, ocean wave energy taps a vast, predictable resource. Waves offer continuous motion driven by wind and tides, denser in energy than wind or solar. The U.S. West Coast alone holds enormous potential estimates suggest wave resources could supply a significant portion of national electricity needs. 

Technologies are maturing. Companies like CorPower Ocean and Eco Wave Power deploy devices that convert wave motion into electricity, some onshore or nearshore for easier maintenance, others floating offshore. Recent demonstrations show improving efficiency, with devices surviving harsh ocean conditions and delivering grid power. Projects in Europe, and pilots in the U.S. (such as at the Port of Los Angeles), signal commercial progress. While still emerging, wave energy's predictability, better than wind, makes it valuable for grid stability. 

Challenges remain: corrosion, biofouling, and high initial costs. Yet, with investment in R&D and deployment, costs will fall through learning curves, much like offshore wind. Wave devices can coexist with fishing, shipping, and marine life when properly sited. For coastal communities, they represent job creation in construction, maintenance, and marine industries, sectors vital to many states.

A Path Forward: Policy, Innovation, and Hope

Combining SMRs for reliable baseload with wave energy for coastal renewable, alongside continued responsible development of other sources, creates a robust portfolio. This approach avoids Germany's pitfalls by prioritizing affordability and reliability. Lower energy costs directly benefit families reducing bills for heating, cooling, and groceries and empower manufacturers to compete globally, bringing jobs home.

As policymakers, we must act. Streamline permitting for advanced nuclear without compromising safety. Fund marine energy demonstrations. Reform regulations to encourage private investment. Support workforce training for these high-tech fields. Public-private partnerships can accelerate deployment, much as they have in other infrastructure.

The promise is profound. Affordable power fuels innovation, lifts living standards, and strengthens national security by reducing import dependence. It offers hope: thriving factories in the Midwest, resilient coastal economies, and energy abundance enabling AI and future technologies.

My experience in local government taught me that solutions succeed when grounded in reality, balancing environment, economy and engineering. America possesses ingenuity, resources, and entrepreneurial spirit. By embracing modular nuclear and ocean wave advancements, we chart a course to prosperity. Future generations deserve energy that powers dreams, not limits them. Let us build that future together; reliable, affordable, and abundant for all.