SAE TOMORROW TODAY: The Problem(s) with Replacing Fossil Fuels

From geopolitical pressures to the shunning of fossil fuels, there is no question the current state of energy in the US and globally is a mess. One possible answer? An "all of the above" approach. For candid insight into this topic, we sat down with Mark P. Mills, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and a faculty fellow at Northwestern University's McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science. Mark served in the White House Science Office under President Reagan and subsequently provided science and technology policy counsel to a variety of private-sector firms, the Department of Energy, and U.S. research laboratories. He began his career as an experimental physicist and development engineer in microprocessors and fiber optics. As part of this wide-ranging discussion, Mark shares his views on the need for hydrocarbon, the instability of the grid, energy's relationship to inflation, the US dependance on China, and why there should be a holistic approach to the world's energy needs. Mark is author of the book The Cloud Revolution: How the Convergence of New Technologies Will Unleash the Next Economic Boom and a Roaring 2020s and host of the new podcast The Last Optimist. He is also author of Digital Cathedrals (2020), and Work in the Age of Robots (2018). His articles have been published widely, including in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, USA Today, and Real Clear. Mills has appeared as a guest on CNN, Fox, NBC, PBS, and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. He has testified before Congress numerous times, and briefed state public-service commissions and legislators.