Make America Gaslit Again

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Last Updated on: 7th August 2025, 10:53 am

When I was a kid, my grandmother’s house in New Hampshire was always ready for the electricity to go down. The kitchen range was wood-fired, though there was a newer kerosene alternative (horrible). There were two sconces in every bathroom, each with an oil (kerosene) lamp. About half the house could be heated by wood; the other half could go cold without damage. The water came from a spring by gravity, and that would just keep going with no electricity.

When my kids were growing up, they lived with me in the same house, and it was about as resilient. We had an electric generator, but if we ran out of fuel for that, we just got on.

I am going to suggest that everybody get ready to do the same. I am not basing that on a wish to go back to the good old days. It’s based, by the numbers, on the Make America Gaslit Again movement.

It takes over a decade to build a nuclear plant. We don’t really have any new traditional plants in planning right now, so we might forget them until after 2035, at the earliest. According to the most recent report from FERC (July report, with numbers through April) no new nuclear power is even planned.

As for small, modular reactors, maybe we could turn them out fast, once the factories that build them are built. But that hasn’t happened yet, and the nuclear industry notoriously understates delivery times. I’m figuring the first of these will not appear before about 2030, at the very earliest. And then a lot of reactors will have to be built to make a difference.

There are no coal-burning power plants even planned for this country (a 35-MW addition is planned, but not considered probable). Coal power is declining fast, and will continue to do so, with 24,373 MW set to retire in the next three years..

As for gas, 19,480 MW are considered highly probable additions for the next three years, with 13,750 set to retire. Combining that with coal, we can see a decline of nearly 18,608 MW for fossil fuels. If Donald Trump wants to keep some of that open, he could probably do so. If he wants to drive a Model A Ford, he could probably do that, too. (Okay, I’m being unfair. Make that a Nash Rambler.) Either is at risk of failing suddenly, just as it is most used and most needed.

We could expect 22,975 MW of wind power and 90,175 MW of solar added in the next three years, with only a small amount retiring. Trump & Co are trying to shut down as much of that as possible, however. And they are doing so as rapidly as possible. (For example, see Yahoo.)

Will the surviving wind and solar power be enough? Probably not. In fact it would probably not be enough in any event, because demand is rising rapidly. We can see this in a lot of sources. One example is a recent article at CleanTechnica, “We Expect Rapid Electricity Demand Growth in Texas & the Mid-Atlantic.” But the truth is, this phenomenon is practically global, and wise planners are hustling to avoid problems.

That leaves us with a shortfall of energy, made worse by a hatred (or is it fear?) of renewable energy on the part of the dilettantes who control our vital systems. Following the usual Trump trajectory for money, I would expect the shortfall to be expressed in rural America and poor neighborhoods in cities. So we should be prepared for it: Make America Gaslit Again.

Of course, a few of us have solar systems and batteries. That’s great, because the kerosene is not needed, and so we don’t have to poison our air with it. Some of us don’t even need wood for fuel.

My advice is, if you don’t have it already, install a solar system with battery backup. Of course I could be wrong about MAGA, but the solar+battery system may save you money anyway, so it is worth considering. And if I am right, it could save a lot more than money.

Image: Even a candle is better than nothing. (Photo by Manoj Roy, Unsplash)