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Elon Musk warns: The lights will go out in two years.

At an energy conference, Tesla and SpaceX boss Elon Musk paints a dark picture of the future: Is there a threat of an energy shortage in just two years? Elon Musk warns urgently.

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, predicts an impending energy shortage. As the business newspaper "The Wall Street Journal" reports, Musk urged at a conference held by the US energy supplier PG&E that expanding power plant capacity must proceed quickly and everywhere to avoid an electricity crisis. If this does not happen, there will be a power shortage in just two years.

AI tools as consumption drivers

“No matter how much power you think we need, more than that is needed,” Musk said. For this reason, the 52-year-old called on the energy industry to implement planned construction projects more quickly. Musk sees the increasing energy demand mainly due to the growing use of AI applications. The computing-intensive tools would consume a considerable amount of power.

Has he tripled energy requirements?

In addition, the increasing number of electric cars will increase energy requirements, says Musk. According to his calculations, energy demand in the USA will triple by 2045. Representatives of the US energy industry are now expecting a much smaller increase in energy demand. PG&E, one of the largest energy suppliers in the USA, is forecasting an increase of "only" 70 percent over the next 20 years. Nevertheless, Musk's warning will be taken seriously, said PG&E CEO Patti Poppe, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Generate electricity yourself? Cheap entry!

It is not only possible to produce electricity yourself with large-scale photovoltaic systems on the roof. Even with a comparatively inexpensive veranda power plant, you become somewhat independent of your electricity provider - and reduce your electricity costs.