how do you calculate the amount of energy required to make an object go a certain amount of speed?

The general Bernouli Equation :

E = 1/2 mv^2 + mgh + P/rho

If the height h and Pressure P do not change..................

E = 1/2 mv^2

Give us more specifics and we can solve it for you......:)

The classical kinetic energy of an object is often expressed as either:

K = ½ m v² = p² / (2 m)

If it travels near the speed of light, then you instead need the relativistic kinetic energy of an object, which is just:

K = m c² * (γ − 1)

...where γ is, as usual in relativity, the factor γ = 1/√(1 − v²/c²).

I assume you know the mass of the object and the velocity you need.

KE = 0.5 * mass * velocity^2

Plug and chug