Key Findings
- The report argues that energy leadership will convey strategic advantage because the ability to create, deliver, and use energy is tied to military, economic, diplomatic, and societal power.
- China is described as holding commanding leads in critical mineral extraction and processing, solar and wind manufacturing, and battery production, creating strategic dependencies for clean energy deployment.
- The action plan proposes three moonshots: catalyzing commercial space-based solar power, pushing fusion from the laboratory to the grid, and scaling long-duration energy storage solutions.
- For space-based solar power, the report recommends setting conditions for commercial success and demonstrating at least 50 kilowatts of capacity by 2030 and 35 gigawatts by 2050.
- For fusion, the report recommends a National Mission Manager, sustained support for the DOE Milestone-based Fusion Development Program, regulatory streamlining, and a DOE Office of Fusion Energy focused initially on grid delivery by 2030.
Overview
The Action Plan for U.S. Leadership in Next-Generation Energy frames energy leadership as central to national security, economic power, and U.S.-China technological competition as clean energy deployment grows. Drawing on insights from academia, the private sector, and government, it presents a non-exhaustive set of “minimum” moves rather than a full energy-sector strategy. The report argues that the United States and allies should pursue three technology moonshots—commercial space-based solar power, fusion power on the grid, and long-duration energy storage—while strengthening the enabling ecosystem for innovation and deployment. It identifies China’s dominance in critical minerals, processing, solar, wind, and battery manufacturing as a strategic dependency, and highlights U.S. barriers including commercialization hurdles, workforce gaps, permitting delays, financing gaps, and grid limitations. Its six recommendation areas cover launching moonshots, training clean energy workers, organizing federal innovation capacity, assuring energy supply chains, scaling commercial deployments, and building a modern, connected, secure grid. The policy relevance is a proposed whole-of-nation agenda through 2030 and beyond to support an abundant, clean, secure, reliable, resilient, and low-cost energy system at home and abroad.
The national security imperative that the United States and its allies and partners lead the world in energy cannot be overstated.
Eric Schmidt and Ylli Bajraktari
Recommendations
- Launch National Moonshot Programs for Next-Gen Energy. Catalyze a commercial space-based solar power industry, push fusion to the grid, and scale long duration storage.
- Train Human Capital for the Clean Energy Future. Empower DOE workforce recruitment, build a more agile green collar workforce, and bolster critical mineral expertise.
- Organize National Capacity for Energy Innovation. Fund the future, establish a help desk for DOE, increase coordination, and supercharge energy research using AI.
- Assure Supply Chains for Energy Technologies. Stockpile critical minerals, advance mining technologies, and build a global network for critical mineral supply.
From the report
The Next-Generation Energy Action Plan – the fourth in the series of National Action Plans to ensure U.S. leadership in key technology areas – addresses the next generation of clean energy technologies that will shape individual lives and great geopolitical tensions.
Documents
Publication
Published by the Special Competitive Studies Project. Co-publishers and external authors, where they exist, are credited in the byline above.