Episode 85: Nick van Osdol, Keep Cool

Artificial intelligence is exploding, and with it comes a massive surge in energy demand. By 2030, AI and data centers could consume as much as 11% of global electricity, up from just 2-3% today. That increase would require the equivalent of 14 new nuclear plants—yet none are currently in development in the United States. The pressing challenge is whether we can meet this appetite for power without stalling climate progress.

In this episode of The Capitalist Hippie Podcast, host Marco Pimentel sits down with Nick van Osdol, a climate tech investor, storyteller and founder of Keep Cool, to explore the complex intersection of AI and the clean energy transition. Together, they discuss:

• How AI creates a paradox: raising emissions in the short term while accelerating climate solutions in the long run.
• Why investors are pivoting to hardware-driven startups, methane mitigation, and adaptation tech.
• The ways AI is already optimizing renewable energy sites and predicting climate disasters.
• What the post-2022 climate tech cooldown means for entrepreneurs building today.
  

As Nick explains, “If climate change wasn’t enough to move fast, maybe humanity’s appetite for AI will be.” This conversation reveals how the energy crunch sparked by AI could also create the conditions for breakthrough solutions, showing that purpose and profit can move in the same direction.