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Zach Dell highlights Texas as a unique place for energy innovation due to its deregulated market. This environment encourages competition and innovation, allowing companies like BASE to capture market share and drive down electricity costs.
Zach Dell argues that the current AI revolution is driving a generational increase in electricity demand, leading to a massive buildout of data centers. He believes this is the largest industrial buildout in U.S. history, which presents both challenges and opportunities for energy innovation.
Zach Dell discusses the importance of energy storage in reducing electricity costs. He highlights that while the cost to generate electricity has decreased due to solar energy, the cost to move electrons has increased due to aging infrastructure. Batteries offer a more efficient alternative by moving power through time rather than space.
Zach Dell believes that competition is essential for innovation and better services. He argues that winning in an uncompetitive market isn't meaningful, and that competition drives improvements and benefits consumers.
Discussing the impact of global supply chains, Zach Dell emphasizes the importance of having a backup plan for sourcing materials, especially with geopolitical tensions. BASE is building a factory in Texas to control its destiny and mitigate risks associated with relying on Chinese supply chains.
Reflecting on his career, Zach Dell shares that his interest in energy began in college with projects like turning human waste into biogas. This experience led him to realize that the next five decades of energy will be defined by solar and storage, shifting away from coal and natural gas.