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ORIGINAL: OculusPyramidis
Energy is not really such a big problem. Windmills are already profitable to install in many locations. Moderate increases in electrical prices will make them much more profitable. There is enough potential energy from high grade wind sites in the Rockies alone to provide enough power for the entire world. Mountain ranges and windy offshore sites around the world are becoming the new oil reserves.
Existing prototype batteries already have the power density to support competitive electric cars. Large scale production of electric cars is already planned. Large car companies are already tooling up. I think that in five years the majority of cars sold will be electric (or at least hybrid).
There is and will always be plenty of high-grade energy. It will just cost a little more than it does now to access it.
Here is the problem. To meet our energy needs, based on an Energy Dept report cited by Tom Friedman, we will need:
1. 120 million new windmills, or 1 for every three people,
2. A new nuclear powerplant EVERY WEEK FOR THE NEXT 30 YEARS.The numbers are staggering.
As for battery technology, that is all well and good; but you still need powerplants to make the power to charge the batteries, don’t you?
