Maile Resta, a member of The Salt Lake Tribune Innovation Lab Advisory Council, recently led a council discussion on how AI could revolutionize energy production and distribution, underscoring Utah’s pivotal role in America’s energy future.
Let’s talk about Utah — not the Utah of pioneer lore or Olympic winter sports, but Utah as the unlikely ground zero for America’s next energy revolution.
Why Utah? It’s simple: geography, demographics and a deep-rooted energy-producing history.
Utahns have long thrived in an environment of abundance: an abundance of natural resources, an abundance of a young and capable workforce, an abundance of the greatest snow on earth. But now, our mindset is shifting. We’re entering a new era — an era where electric power is everything. For the world, America and, even more specifically, Utah, the metrics of success — economics, sustainable growth, societal well-being — are increasingly measured in kilowatt-hours.
As we transition to a more electrified world, the true measure of progress will be how effectively we generate, distribute and consume electric power. For Utahns, this shift means that our future success will increasingly depend on our ability to innovate and lead in an economy where every kilowatt-hour plays a critical role.
Utah’s incredible growth in recent years — driven by natural landscapes, quality of life, job opportunities and more — has made our economy stronger than most in the country. We’ve expanded on generational industries and added new industries entirely. Our growing tech hub has imported thousands of jobs, with millions invested in manufacturing and AI hubs across the state.
These industries take power. A lot of power. And it’s not just data centers that are energy-intensive. The resurgence of domestic manufacturing adds to the energy demand as they bring high-tech production back to American soil.
Equally critical are other major industries already existing in Utah — semiconductor manufacturers, contractors supporting Hill Air Force Base and defense firms — companies that are directly contributing to our national security.
We are now facing a critical issue: Like the rest of the United States, access to power is becoming a potential growth constraint — or could it become a competitive advantage?
Let’s be clear: The answer is not to deter these industries from settling here. If we can’t compete for these high-energy-consuming industries, the impact on the middle class will be significant — we must adapt to stay competitive.
If we can maintain the foresight and collaboration that brought us here, Utah is uniquely positioned for success in this new energy era — an era contingent on energy production and generation.
We’re more capable than any surrounding state of seizing this opportunity. Why? Again, it’s simple: Geography, demographics and a deep-rooted energy-producing history.
We’ve all heard that the “easy coal is gone” in Utah. But we need not rely solely on our traditional forms of energy. Let’s take solar production for example — Utah has an above-average number of sunny days. Our arid and semi-arid climates ensure minimal cloud cover and precipitation, leading to consistent solar energy production. There’s ample flat land. You get the point.
Utah’s demographic jackpot is another advantage — Utah is future-proof and remains America’s youngest state, with a median age of just 31.5 years. This means a workforce that’s not just abundant but adaptable, which is crucial for the tech- and manufacturing-heavy future barreling towards us.
Lastly, Utahns know energy. We have expert welders, seasoned heavy machinery operators and skilled professionals essential for large-scale energy development. It’s what we’ve always done best — produce American-made, Utah-made, energy.
We are entering into an energy arms race, and Utah is sitting on an arsenal of diverse and expansive resources, connected by world-class transmission corridors.
We stand at a crossroads: We can either abandon our legacy of collaboration and innovation, or we can once again lead the charge, as we have with so many other industries in the past decade.
Utah’s leaders must have the foresight to lay the groundwork for this energy revolution or we could be caught flatfooted, watching as our young, tech-savvy workforce seeks out other geographies that can capitalize on this new era.
With the 2034 Winter Olympics on the horizon, Utah has a chance to showcase not just its slopes but its energy innovation to the world. The clock is ticking. In the high-stakes game of global energy politics, Utah has been dealt a royal flush. The question is: Does it know how to play its hand?
(Maile Resta) Maile Resta is a member of the Salt Lake Tribune's Innovation Lab Advisory Council and leads rPlus Energies’ communications and community impact efforts.
Maile Resta is a member of the Salt Lake Tribune’s Innovation Lab Advisory Council and leads rPlus Energies’ communications and community impact efforts. Headquartered in Salt Lake City, rPlus Energies is a large-scale renewable energy and energy storage developer and market leader in the western U.S. In Utah alone, the total CapEx deployed through rPlus-developed projects (operational or under construction) is over $1.5 billion. Learn more at www.rplusenergies.com.
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