Energy determines our standard of living and economic growth. To keep pace with rising populations, increased production is required or economic growth is inhibited. The US already imports more than 50% of its oil and, within two decades, domestic natural gas production will decline. Coal is plentiful, but its increased use could lead to an ecological disaster. Either the US curtails heavy industry and agriculture, or an energy solution must be found. ----- Advocating nuclear over coal would be a grave mistake. All out use of light water reactors could satisfy only 10% of the 2,800 gigawatt (billions of watts) US economic engine while exhausting uranium reserves during a short service while creating millions of tons of radioactive waste creating a tremendous risks for a millennia. ----- There just isn't enough energy in geo-thermal, wind, or the biomass to meet the demand on their own. Solar thermal, however, has the potential to run the entire US economic engine forever without deadly waste or CO2. As example, a 33-mile plot in the desert could generate a mean of 50 gigawatts with 137 gigawatts peak output, more than all nuclear power now generated in the US. This would be utilizing unpopulated areas and not scar the country mining ore. The amount of land and cost of equipment would be less than now expended on nuclear with construction completed within a fraction of the time. ----- Provided property tax breaks in much the same spirit as fuel not taxed for conventional power plants and then solar thermal cost about 30% less than nuclear and does not require long term storage, ongoing mining operations, is not a terrorist target, nor needs to be decommissioned after a few decades where all the materials are lost. In addition, heating salt allows long-term storage of the collected energy with a less than 1% per annum loss. ----- Long distance distribution of solar thermal energy has already been solved. Northern states share inexpensive hydro-electric power over thousands of miles through the use of ultra high DC voltage with losses less than 10%. Foul weather operation with fossil fuel is easily accomplished as solar thermal uses conventional turbines and eutectic molten salt can also provide highly efficient night reserves. Unlike nuclear, the thousands of replicated solar thermal modules provide efficiencies of scale, which can dramatically reduce cost and, being made of common materials, are labor intensive to construct, which could also provide a transitional employment benefit. ----- A sound renewable energy technology exists. Either a legacy of a collapsing, dangerous energy system or clean and ever cheaper energy will largely depend on leadership. Use of hydrogen made from natural gas is not a solution if the US does not have a surplus. The fertilizer for corn uses more energy than provided by the crop. ----- Power lines will be swaying above the bountiful energy reflecting off the desert sand as solar thermal generators hum with the sound of clean energy.