Ken Silverstein
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Energy transition, AI Infrastructure, Grid Reliability, and Geopolitics
30-Year-Energy Transition & Geopolitics Columnist | @Forbes. Syndicated to 300+ papers via @InsideSources. MBA @Tulane | Cited by US Senate ⚡️🌍
Articles by Ken Silverstein
Tech Capital & The Nuclear Revival: What Hyperscaler Investment Means for Grid Operators
For decades, utility executives have faced a familiar dilemma with nuclear power: indispensable for 24/7 baseload capacity, but economically daunting due to capital intensity, extended build timelines, and severe cost overrun risks. However, the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence data infrastructure is fundamentally altering utility load forecasting and power procurement models.
The AI Boom Is Making Nuclear Power Bankable Again
CLINTON, ILLINOIS - JULY 25: An aerial view shows storm clouds moving over Constellation's Clinton Clean Energy Center's single nuclear reactor power plant on July 25, 2025 in Clinton, Illinois. Meta recently signed a 20-year power purchase agreement with Constellation for the output from the plant. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)Getty Images In 1979, a reactor at the Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania came within hours of a full meltdown.
The AI Boom Is Making Nuclear Power Bankable Again Original
CLINTON, ILLINOIS - JULY 25: An aerial view shows storm clouds moving over Constellation's Clinton Clean Energy Center’s single nuclear reactor power plant on July 25, 2025 in Clinton, Illinois. Meta recently signed a 20-year power purchase agreement with Constellation for the output from the plant. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) Getty Images In 1979, a reactor at the Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania came within hours of a full meltdown.
The AI Boom Is Making Nuclear Power Bankable Again
CLINTON, ILLINOIS - JULY 25: An aerial view shows storm clouds moving over Constellation's Clinton Clean Energy Center's single nuclear reactor power plant on July 25, 2025 in Clinton, Illinois. Meta recently signed a 20-year power purchase agreement with Constellation for the output from the plant. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)Getty Images In 1979, a reactor at the Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania came within hours of a full meltdown.
Silverstein: Ukraine's mounting defense striking hard at Putin’s pumps
The American debate over foreign aid has asked one simple question: Are we funding a bottomless dependency? Critics from rural heartlands to urban centers worry that pouring billions into a conflict a world away just hooks an ally to a perpetual American lifeline. The reality shows a striking irony that every American can respect. Shifting political tides in Washington didn’t break Ukraine.
The Digital Dust Bowl: The Brutal Physical Reality of the AI Boom
We are constantly told that the future of artificial intelligence exists in a weightless, ethereal “cloud.” In reality, it lives in gravel, steel, transformers, and concrete. While tech giants market virtual breakthroughs, they are quietly driving the most resource-intensive industrial infrastructure expansion of the post-war era.
KEN SILVERSTEIN: How Ukraine Is Blowing Up Putin’s Pumps
The American debate over foreign aid has asked one simple question: Are we funding a bottomless dependency? Critics from rural heartlands to urban centers worry that pouring billions into a conflict a world away just hooks an ally to a perpetual American lifeline. kAm%96 C62=:EJ D9@HD 2 DEC:<:?8 :C@?J E92E 6G6CJ p>6C:42? 42? C6DA64E] $9:7E:?8 A@=:E:42= E:56D :? (2D9:?8E@? 5:5?VE 3C62< &<C2:?6] xE 5:5 D@>6E9:?8 E96 zC6>=:?
Forbes JAPAN 公式サイト（フォーブス ジャパン）
トップ ビジネス サイバー攻撃と地政学リスクが変える、家庭用太陽光発電の新たな価値 2025年12月、ロシア政府が支援するハッカー集団が、に対して破壊的な「ワイパー（データ消去型）」マルウェアを実行した。標的となったのは、風力・太陽光発電所と送配電事業者をつなぐデジタル接続、および約50万世帯に電力を供給する2箇所の熱電併給発電所だった。この攻撃は、抽象的な軍事作戦ではなかった。冬の寒波が押し寄せるなか、ポーランドの市民を暗闇に突き落とそうとする計算された試みだった。 国家による悪意あるソフトウェアを使った、集中型電力システムを標的とする機能停止攻撃が増加するにつれ、国際紛争というマクロな現実が、一般の家庭に直接的な影響を及ぼすようになっている。公共の送電網（グリッド）が実際の戦場と化すとき、個人の脆弱性はシンクタンクの討論会で語られる遠い概念ではなくなり、目の前にある家庭の現実となる。...
The Digital Dust Bowl: The Brutal Physical Reality Of The AI Boom
STONE RIDGE, VIRGINIA - JULY 17: In an aerial view, an Amazon Web Services data center is shown situated near single-family homes on July 17, 2024 in Stone Ridge, Virginia. Northern Virginia is the largest data center market in the world, according to a report this year cited in published accounts, but is facing headwinds from availability of land and electric power.
The Digital Dust Bowl: The Brutal Physical Reality Of The AI Boom Original
STONE RIDGE, VIRGINIA - JULY 17: In an aerial view, an Amazon Web Services data center is shown situated near single-family homes on July 17, 2024 in Stone Ridge, Virginia. Northern Virginia is the largest data center market in the world, according to a report this year cited in published accounts, but is facing headwinds from availability of land and electric power.
The Digital Dust Bowl: The Brutal Physical Reality Of The AI Boom
STONE RIDGE, VIRGINIA - JULY 17: In an aerial view, an Amazon Web Services data center is shown situated near single-family homes on July 17, 2024 in Stone Ridge, Virginia. Northern Virginia is the largest data center market in the world, according to a report this year cited in published accounts, but is facing headwinds from availability of land and electric power.
How Ukraine Is Blowing Up Putin’s Pumps
The American debate over foreign aid has asked one simple question: Are we funding a bottomless dependency? Critics from rural heartlands to urban centers worry that pouring billions into a conflict a world away just hooks an ally to a perpetual American lifeline. The reality shows a striking irony that every American can respect. Shifting political tides in Washington didn’t break Ukraine.
Ken Silverstein: How Ukraine is blowing up Putin's pumps (Opinion)
The American debate over foreign aid has asked one simple question: Are we funding a bottomless dependency? Critics from rural heartlands to urban centers worry that pouring billions of dollars into a conflict a world away just hooks an ally to a perpetual American lifeline. The reality shows a striking irony that every American can respect. Shifting political tides in Washington didn't break Ukraine.
Security Check
The American debate over foreign aid has asked one question: Are we funding a bottomless dependency? Critics worry that pouring billions into a conflict a world away creates a perpetual US lifeline.
The Security-Driven Grid: Reimagining Rooftop Solar as a Cyber Defense Asset
For decades, the utility industry has viewed the rise of residential rooftop solar and behind-the-meter battery storage through a familiar, cautious lens.
How Ukraine Is Blowing Up Putin’s Pumps
The American debate over foreign aid has asked one simple question: Are we funding a bottomless dependency? Critics from rural heartlands to urban centers worry that pouring billions into a conflict a world away just hooks an ally to a perpetual American lifeline. The reality shows a striking irony that every American can respect. Shifting political tides in Washington didn’t break Ukraine.
Grid War: How Geopolitics And Anxiety Drive Home Solar
Flag of Iran displayed on a laptop screen and binary code displayed on a screen are seen in this multiple exposure illustration photo taken in Krakow, Poland on September 27, 2022.
Grid War: How Geopolitics And Anxiety Drive Home Solar Original
Flag of Iran displayed on a laptop screen and binary code displayed on a screen are seen in this multiple exposure illustration photo taken in Krakow, Poland on September 27, 2022.
Grid War: How Geopolitics And Anxiety Drive Home Solar
The second era was driven purely by market economics. Kicked off by the Investment Tax Credit in 2006 and supercharged by the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, this period focused on driving equipment costs low enough for mass commercial adoption. By 2024, solar made up over 80% of all new electric generating capacity added to the grid, according to federal energy regulators.
Grid War: How Geopolitics And Anxiety Drive Home Solar
The second era was driven purely by market economics. Kicked off by the Investment Tax Credit in 2006 and supercharged by the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, this period focused on driving equipment costs low enough for mass commercial adoption. By 2024, solar made up over 80% of all new electric generating capacity added to the grid, according to federal energy regulators.
The Strategic Reality of the Cambodia-Thailand Maritime Gridlock
For utility executives managing long-term fuel security, the unresolved maritime dispute between Thailand and Cambodia over the Overlapping Claims Area (OCA) is a critical case study in geopolitical risk. The area sits on an estimated billions of dollars in untouched oil and gas reserves, yet decades of political gridlock have kept it completely offline.
Cambodia, Thailand Sit On Billions In Oil And Gas That’s Untouchable
CHANTHABURI PROVINCE, Cambodian Defence Minister Tea Seiha (left) and Thai Defence Minister Natthaphon Narkphanit (right) pose for pictures after signing a ceasefire agreement, at the General Border Committee Meeting in Chanthaburi Province, Thailand, on December 27, 2025. (Photo by Cambodian Government/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)Anadolu via Getty Images In the Gulf of Thailand, diesel prices have climbed so high that fishermen are warning their boats may soon sit idle.
Cambodia, Thailand Sit On Billions In Oil And Gas That’s Untouchable Original
CHANTHABURI PROVINCE, Cambodian Defence Minister Tea Seiha (left) and Thai Defence Minister Natthaphon Narkphanit (right) pose for pictures after signing a ceasefire agreement, at the General Border Committee Meeting in Chanthaburi Province, Thailand, on December 27, 2025. (Photo by Cambodian Government/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images) Anadolu via Getty Images In the Gulf of Thailand, diesel prices have climbed so high that fishermen are warning their boats may soon sit idle.
Cambodia, Thailand Sit On Billions In Oil And Gas That’s Untouchable
Thailand's withdrawal from the maritime MOU came amid a wave of nationalist sentiment tied to that border conflict, and Bangkok's Senate has since recommended walking away from a separate land-border agreement as well. With the bilateral framework gone, Cambodia notified the UN Secretary-General that it was initiating compulsory conciliation under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea—only the second time in history that any country has invoked that mechanism.
Cambodia, Thailand Sit On Billions In Oil And Gas That’s Untouchable
Thailand's withdrawal from the maritime MOU came amid a wave of nationalist sentiment tied to that border conflict, and Bangkok's Senate has since recommended walking away from a separate land-border agreement as well. With the bilateral framework gone, Cambodia notified the UN Secretary-General that it was initiating compulsory conciliation under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea—only the second time in history that any country has invoked that mechanism.
Forbes JAPAN 公式サイト（フォーブス ジャパン）
モスクワにあるガスプロム・ネフチのカポトニャ石油精製所の炎上により、クレムリンはウクライナのドローン攻撃を無視できなくなった。ロシアの首都で消費されるガソリンの約40%を供給する重要施設を破壊したこの大規模な爆発ドローン攻撃は、経済的消耗戦を直接モスクワの玄関先に持ち込んだ。しかし、立ち上る黒煙から数千マイル離れた場所では、第2の目に見えないエネルギー戦線が展開されている。それがサイバー侵入だ。ロシアは全面的な世界的紛争を引き起こすことなく西側同盟国に物理的な爆弾を投下できないため、モスクワは西側の電力システムを動かす自動化ソフトウェアを標的とした、静かで組織的なキャンペーンを通じて報復している。 この多面的なエネルギー戦争は、国家安全保障上の明白なパラドックスを露呈している。西側諸国がデジタル化されたグリーン送電網の構築を急ぐ一方で、AIの飽くなき電力需要と相まって、外国の敵対勢力にとって巨大で極めて脆弱なデジタル標的を生み出しているのだ。...
The Resilience of 'Nickel-and-Dime' Infrastructure: What Centralized Utilities Can Learn From Haiti’s Mesh Grids
When utility professionals think about grid modernization, the conversation naturally gravitates toward large-scale upgrades: high-voltage transmission lines, massive utility-scale storage, and centralized distribution management systems. We think big because our grids are big. But a quiet infrastructure success story unfolding in rural Haiti turns this capital-intensive, top-down philosophy entirely on its head.
Despite Crippling Poverty, Haiti Is Quietly Switching The Lights On Original
Haiti is deploying mesh grids across the country to provide access to electricity. Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet The road from the port at Cap-Haïtien to the inland town of Marchand-Dessalines covers just 80 miles. On a good day in most countries, that's a 90-minute drive. In Haiti, it takes four hours—over dirt roads and the occasional flash of turquoise sea, through stretches where gang activity has made the route notorious. Wislet Pierre Jean makes the trip anyway.
Despite Crippling Poverty, Haiti Is Quietly Switching The Lights On
Alina Enèji, the company Pierre Jean works for, had just 35 of these connections in Marchand-Dessalines in 2021. Now that the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet is involved—a philanthropic outfit founded by the Rockefeller Foundation, the IKEA Foundation, and the Bezos Earth Fund—it shot to 1,000 in 2023. "We were so small we couldn't get the conversations started," said Alina Enèji's founder, Driko Ducasse, of trying to raise capital at that stage.
Times Opinion: Why isolationism is detrimental to America’s Heartland
When Washington debates international alliances, the conversation usually sounds like a corporate ledger sheet. Critics often treat the North Atlantic Treaty Organization like a bad business transaction, complaining that European nations must "cover their own asses" and stop relying so heavily on American military dollars. It is a message that resonates across major metros and rural main streets, where citizens are understandably tired of paying for distant global problems.
https://www.thenewstribune.com/opinion/us-viewpoints/article316213599.html
The physical vulnerabilities of energy infrastructure are easy to see—such as the recent drone strikes on Moscow’s Kapotnya refinery. However, a far more insidious, invisible front line is emerging inside Western utility software. As the industry rapidly transitions toward decentralized, digitized clean energy to meet the massive, near-constant power demands of AI data centers, we are inadvertently expanding our digital attack surface.
The New Energy War: Why The AI Grid Is The New Battleground
The burning of Gazprom Neft's Kapotnya Oil Refinery in Moscow made it impossible for the Kremlin to ignore Ukraine's drone campaign. By knocking out a critical facility that supplies roughly 40% of the Russian capital's gasoline, the massive explosive drone strikes brought a direct war of economic attrition straight to Moscow's doorstep. Yet, thousands of miles away from the billowing black smoke, a second, invisible energy front is operating: cyber intrusions.
The New Energy War: Why The AI Grid Is The New Battleground Original
Physical warfare is one thing. Cyber attacks is another. getty The burning of Gazprom Neft’s Kapotnya Oil Refinery in Moscow made it impossible for the Kremlin to ignore Ukraine’s drone campaign. By knocking out a critical facility that supplies roughly 40% of the Russian capital’s gasoline, the massive explosive drone strikes brought a direct war of economic attrition straight to Moscow’s doorstep.
The New Energy War: Why The AI Grid Is The New Battleground
Ken Silverstein, Senior Contributor Wed, June 24, 2026 at 12:45 p.m. UTC 6 min read Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Physical warfare is one thing. Cyber attacks is another. getty The burning of Gazprom Neft's Kapotnya Oil Refinery in Moscow made it impossible for the Kremlin to ignore Ukraine's drone campaign.
The New Energy War: Why The AI Grid Is The New Battleground
The burning of Gazprom Neft’s Kapotnya Oil Refinery in Moscow made it impossible for the Kremlin to ignore Ukraine’s drone campaign. By knocking out a critical facility that supplies roughly 40% of the Russian capital’s gasoline, the massive explosive drone strikes brought a direct war of economic attrition straight to Moscow’s doorstep. Yet, thousands of miles away from the billowing black smoke, a second, invisible energy front is operating: cyber intrusions.
Second-Life EV Batteries: A Scalable Solution for the AI Power Surge?
As hyperscale AI data centers strain national grids and complicate capacity planning, a compelling demand-side management strategy is emerging: pairing these facilities with repurposed electric vehicle (EV) battery storage. While still retaining roughly 80% of their original capacity, retired EV packs are poorly suited for automotive use but ideal for stationary energy storage. For utility executives, this approach offers a dual benefit.
Why isolationism is detrimental to America's Heartland
When Washington debates international alliances, the conversation usually sounds like a corporate ledger sheet. Critics often treat the North Atlantic Treaty Organization like a bad business transaction, complaining that European nations must “cover their own asses” and stop relying so heavily on American military dollars. It is a message that resonates across major metros and rural main streets, where citizens are understandably tired of paying for distant global problems.
Why isolationism is detrimental to America's Heartland
When Washington debates international alliances, the conversation usually sounds like a corporate ledger sheet. Critics often treat the North Atlantic Treaty Organization like a bad business transaction, complaining that European nations must "cover their own asses" and stop relying so heavily on American military dollars. It is a message that resonates across major metros and rural main streets, where citizens are understandably tired of paying for distant global problems.
Commentary: Why isolationism is detrimental to America's Heartland
A NATO flag is set up prior to the signing ceremony of the law, ratifying the NATO Protocol on Finland and Sweden's membership, on board the Polish Navy frigate ORP Kosciuszko in Gdynia in July 22, 2022. (Mateusz Slodkowski/AFP/Getty Images/TNS) When Washington debates international alliances, the conversation usually sounds like a corporate ledger sheet.
Commentary: Why isolationism is detrimental to America's Heartland
A NATO flag is set up prior to the signing ceremony of the law, ratifying the NATO Protocol on Finland and Sweden's membership, on board the Polish Navy frigate ORP Kosciuszko in Gdynia in July 22, 2022. (Mateusz Slodkowski/AFP/Getty Images/TNS) When Washington debates international alliances, the conversation usually sounds like a corporate ledger sheet.
Commentary: Why isolationism is detrimental to America's Heartland
A NATO flag is set up prior to the signing ceremony of the law, ratifying the NATO Protocol on Finland and Sweden's membership, on board the Polish Navy frigate ORP Kosciuszko in Gdynia in July 22, 2022. (Mateusz Slodkowski/AFP/Getty Images/TNS) When Washington debates international alliances, the conversation usually sounds like a corporate ledger sheet.
Commentary: Why isolationism is detrimental to America's Heartland
When Washington debates international alliances, the conversation usually sounds like a corporate ledger sheet. Critics often treat the North Atlantic Treaty Organization like a bad business transaction, complaining that European nations must "cover their own asses" and stop relying so heavily on American military dollars. It is a message that resonates across major metros and rural main streets, where citizens are understandably tired of paying for distant global problems.
Commentary: Why isolationism is detrimental to America's Heartland
When Washington debates international alliances, the conversation usually sounds like a corporate ledger sheet. Critics often treat the North Atlantic Treaty Organization like a bad business transaction, complaining that European nations must "cover their own asses" and stop relying so heavily on American military dollars. It is a message that resonates across major metros and rural main streets, where citizens are understandably tired of paying for distant global problems.
Commentary: Why isolationism is detrimental to America's Heartland
A NATO flag is set up prior to the signing ceremony of the law, ratifying the NATO Protocol on Finland and Sweden's membership, on board the Polish Navy frigate ORP Kosciuszko in Gdynia in July 22, 2022. (Mateusz Slodkowski/AFP/Getty Images/TNS) When Washington debates international alliances, the conversation usually sounds like a corporate ledger sheet.
Commentary: Why isolationism is detrimental to America's Heartland
A NATO flag is set up prior to the signing ceremony of the law, ratifying the NATO Protocol on Finland and Sweden's membership, on board the Polish Navy frigate ORP Kosciuszko in Gdynia in July 22, 2022. (Mateusz Slodkowski/AFP/Getty Images/TNS) When Washington debates international alliances, the conversation usually sounds like a corporate ledger sheet.
Commentary: Why isolationism is detrimental to America's Heartland
A NATO flag is set up prior to the signing ceremony of the law, ratifying the NATO Protocol on Finland and Sweden's membership, on board the Polish Navy frigate ORP Kosciuszko in Gdynia in July 22, 2022. (Mateusz Slodkowski/AFP/Getty Images/TNS) When Washington debates international alliances, the conversation usually sounds like a corporate ledger sheet.
Commentary: Why isolationism is detrimental to America's Heartland
A NATO flag is set up prior to the signing ceremony of the law, ratifying the NATO Protocol on Finland and Sweden's membership, on board the Polish Navy frigate ORP Kosciuszko in Gdynia in July 22, 2022. (Mateusz Slodkowski/AFP/Getty Images/TNS) When Washington debates international alliances, the conversation usually sounds like a corporate ledger sheet.
Commentary: Why isolationism is detrimental to America's Heartland
When Washington debates international alliances, the conversation usually sounds like a corporate ledger sheet. Critics often treat the North Atlantic Treaty Organization like a bad business transaction, complaining that European nations must "cover their own asses" and stop relying so heavily on American military dollars. It is a message that resonates across major metros and rural main streets, where citizens are understandably tired of paying for distant global problems.
Commentary: Why isolationism is detrimental to America's Heartland
When Washington debates international alliances, the conversation usually sounds like a corporate ledger sheet. Critics often treat the North Atlantic Treaty Organization like a bad business transaction, complaining that European nations must "cover their own asses" and stop relying so heavily on American military dollars. It is a message that resonates across major metros and rural main streets, where citizens are understandably tired of paying for distant global problems.
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