

Power Hour with Alex Epstein
Alex Epstein
Every week on Power Hour energy philosopher Alex Epstein breaks down today's top energy, environmental, and climate issues.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jan 14, 2026 • 1h 8min
Defense tech prodigy Ethan Thornton on how to quickly deter China from invading Taiwan
Ethan Thornton, a 22-year-old defense tech entrepreneur and CEO of Mach Industries, dives into urgent discussions about U.S. strategies to deter a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. He shares insights on the implications of rapid unmanned systems development, highlighting the need for a modernized weapons procurement process. Ethan warns about China's advantages in military production and logistics, advocating for innovative stockpiling of unmanned weapons. His vision emphasizes agility and cost-effectiveness to enhance survivability on the battlefield.

Jun 2, 2025 • 46min
How to defeat the IRA subsidies, with Congressmen Chip Roy and Josh Brecheen
I brought back my podcast Power Hour for a discussion with Congressmen Chip Roy Josh Brecheen about how they defeated a hoard of subsidy-seeking lobbyists to cut off new solar and wind subsidies in the "Big Beautiful Bill."Why also discussed why it's crucial for the Senate to preserve and build on this victory, and strategies for making this happen.http://alexepstein.com

12 snips
Jun 29, 2023 • 1h 25min
Peter Thiel challenges Alex Epstein on Fossil Future
From Alex Epstein: "Recently I was having dinner with Peter Thiel (the billionaire investor/entrepreneur who founded PayPal and Palantir) and he raised some interesting challenges to my book Fossil Future (which he has enthusiastically endorsed). I suggested, 'Let’s record a discussion where you give me all your challenges to Fossil Future and I try to answer them.' Peter loved the idea, so we made it happen—recording a 90-minute discussion at his office in West Hollywood."

Mar 27, 2023 • 53min
How to become an Energy Freedom Policy Architect
On the latest episode of Power Hour, Alex Epstein explains in detail how to create Energy Freedom Talking Points, and announces new opportunities to work for or contribute to the Energy Talking Points project. Also: How Alex and Energy Talking Points are changing AI Chat.

Nov 2, 2022 • 1h 4min
Senator Tom Cotton on "Only the Strong"
On the latest episode of Power Hour, Alex Epstein interviews Senator Tom Cotton about his important new book, Only the Strong.
https://www.amazon.com/Only-Strong-Reversing-Sabotage-American/dp/1538726793
They discuss:
Why America should have a foreign policy of self-interest
What a principled and thoughtful policy of self-interest looks like
How American foreign policy has devolved into various forms of international servitude
The importance of energy security
Senator Cotton's experiences in battle and in Congress
At the end of the show Alex shares some of his differences with Senator Cotton's book and offers some additional reading recommendations.

Jul 27, 2022 • 24min
Jusper Machogu, emerging African Energy Champion
On this special episode of Power Hour Alex Epstein interviews Jusper Machogu, a Kenyan farmer who, thanks to the influence of Alex and others, has started to become a champion of fossil fuels in Africa.
Jusper discusses his aspirations in agriculture and in energy, and why he is asking for help to invest in his education.
You can support Jusper at his GoFundMe (Alex contributed $1000): https://www.gofundme.com/f/jusper-machogu-further-education-support

May 26, 2022 • 50min
Wrestling legend Ben Askren on how Fossil Future impacted his thinking
On this special episode of Power Hour to celebrate Fossil Future's launch week, I'm joined by wrestling legend and former MMA superstar Ben Askren. When Ben expressed interest in Fossil future on Twitter, I sent him an advance copy—which he read in full, and loved.
I asked Ben to come on the show to describe how the book impacted his thinking. I also asked Ben, known as one of the great innovators in modern wrestling, about the keys to his innovativeness—keys that apply to virtually any field.
This episode was both a thrill for me and a little surreal since as a longtime Jiu-Jitsu practitioner I've admired Askren from afar for many years. The fact that he responded to Fossil Future so positively is further confirmation to me that the framework and argument of this book are going to impact a lot of people's thinking for the better.

May 26, 2022 • 38min
CA candidate for governor Michael Shellenberger on the governor's race, energy, and Fossil Future
On this special episode of Power Hour to celebrate Fossil Future's launch week, I'm joined by California candidate for governor Michael Shellenberger--whom I am enthusiastically supporting, intellectually and financially.
We ended up spending most of the time talking about the energy landscape, including where Fossil Future fits in. But I made sure that we talked about Mike's campaign and why it is worth supporting. I've contributed $5000, an unprecedented amount for me.

May 26, 2022 • 1h 8min
Vivek Ramaswamy's positive alternative to "ESG" investing
On the latest episode of Power Hour, Alex Epstein is joined by Vivek Ramaswamy, author of Woke, Inc. and Co-Founder and Executive Chairman at Strive Asset Management to talk about the impact of the ESG movement on investments, its root causes, and how to fight it. Ramaswamy also shares his views on Alex's new book Fossil Future.

Mar 19, 2022 • 1h 20min
How to liberate nuclear energy, with Robert Zubrin
Alex Epstein is joined by futurist, nuclear engineering PhD, and energy expert Robert Zubrin to talk about how to liberate nuclear energy’s limitless potential. Drawing from Zubrin’s new manuscript “The Case for Nukes,” they cover:
1. Nuclear’s track record of providing low-cost, reliable, clean, safe electricity.
2. How irrational government policies have made nuclear vastly more expensive than it needs to be.
3. The key policies needed to liberate nuclear.


