Benton Arnett

Powering Economic Opportunities: Energy at the Core | Future of Finance 2026

Leslie Kaufman, Benton Arnett, Rachel Halfaker, Stephen Propper, Nidhi Thakar

Driven by surging AI data center demand and corporate carbon-free procurement commitments, the U.S. energy sector is pivoting toward flexible nuclear power models and advanced grid modernization to address critical reliability and affordability gaps. Independent developers and community lenders are leveraging innovative financing structures alongside artificial intelligence to accelerate permitting and scale distributed energy resources despite persistent regulatory bottlenecks. Concurrently, geopolitical shifts and targeted federal incentives are fueling investment in onshored supply chains and transmission infrastructure, positioning clean firm technologies as essential components of national energy security.