Joel Jean
@joeljean9
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Co-founder/CEO @SwiftSolarPV building the future of solar technology. Excited about all climate solutions.
Redwood City, CA
Joined March 2009
Some people say you can't power data centers with sunlight They're wrong. Here's why solar will power AGI ☀️🤖☀️ 🧵
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Just some more GW scale solar-powered AI deployments in space
Our TPUs are headed to space! Inspired by our history of moonshots, from quantum computing to autonomous driving, Project Suncatcher is exploring how we could one day build scalable ML compute systems in space, harnessing more of the sun’s power (which emits more power than 100
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Nbd just 100GW to TWs of new solar… per year… in space
@rmcentush Starship could deliver 100GW/year to high Earth orbit within 4 to 5 years if we can solve the other parts of the equation. 100TW/year is possible from a lunar base producing solar-powered AI satellites locally and accelerating them to escape velocity with a mass driver.
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AI doesn’t need miracle energy technology—it needs energy that scales. And nothing scales like solar. ☀️ Solar isn't just competitive—it's the only energy source that can scale fast enough and far enough to match AI's exponential growth. Full manifesto (Part 1):
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Some want to go further—off-grid solar + storage + gas backup No queues. No transmission. No markup. One analysis: Data center microgrid with 90% lifetime solar at ~$109/MWh—cheaper than restarting Three Mile Island ($130/MWh) (shoutout to @kyle__cb @duncan__c @hausfath
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“So why isn't every data center solar powered?” Three reasons—all temporary: 1) Existing power is faster (for now) 2) Location constraints (fading) 3) Risk aversion (no one wants to bet a $500M training run) No physics problems. Just execution.
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China already dominates solar manufacturing—over 80% of global capacity. It’s deploying faster too—adding over 250GW so far this year, more than the US has ever installed. The AI race runs on electrons. If America wants to lead (or even keep pace), it needs to go big on solar.
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NextEra: 8.8GW of solar lined up to meet AI demand by 2027 Google: Building GW-scale renewable industrial parks Why? Solar deploys in 12–18 months. Gas/wind/nuclear takes 3–5+ years. In the AI age, speed wins.
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The economics? Already competitive. Firm solar (PV + batteries/peakers): ~$100/MWh Gas combined cycle: ~$100/MWh Solar + battery costs fall ~20% when production doubles. Gas? Flat or rising. The curves are diverging. (2030 cost projections from @nexteraenergy)
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AI doesn't need massive new baseload power. It needs solar, storage, and smarter grids. The winning formula is a diverse generation mix: ~90% solar, wind, and storage—with gas, geothermal, and nuclear filling the gaps. Flexible loads and grid diversity already make solar the
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Overbuild PV + Add storage = Firm solar Masdar is already building the world's first GW-scale 24/7 solar plant. 5GW PV + 19GWh storage = 1GW of continuous power $6/W = <10% of AI data center capex! Baseload 24/7 solar is coming—but AI doesn’t need to wait.
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Solar + storage can power AI. “But solar is intermittent!" We've all heard it a thousand times. But it’s missing the point. The physics works. The economics work. What doesn't work is trying to build AGI on 20th century energy infrastructure.
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Something ominous about this
Walker S2 replacing it's own battery 24/7 blue-collar-worker within reach
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Software creates soft men Soft men create hard times Hard times create hard men Hard men create hardware Hardware creates good times Good times creates software
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Excited to announce @SwiftSolarPV's partnership with @AmericanTowerUS to evaluate our perovskite solar technology for deployment across their 42,000 US communications sites. When Fortune 500 infrastructure leaders become both customers and investors, it validates the commercial
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This chart is insane. The power of 5 year plans
The anti-solar mind virus has infected the GOP. There are still plenty of principled conservatives, but they’re being drowned out by ideologues and cronies. Look at this chart and tell me again how solar isn’t “real energy.”
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Have to say it again: Solar is the future of energy!
Solar is ~100% of energy long-term
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Is Veo supposed to mean Video without id (ie no primal instincts)?
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