Alternative Energy Solutions

**justintempler** · 08-02-10, 11:53 PM

There is no one solution that will replace oil. It's going to be a fragmented solution.

Coal, Natural Gas, Hydroelectric, Nuclear, Wind, Biomass, Solar PV, Geothermal, Solar Thermal, Tidal, Wave

Hydrogen is not an answer. Hydrogen is not a source of energy. You still have to use another form of energy to create hydrogen. You're still going to need to use wind, solar, coal etc in order to create the hydrogen. You can store hydrogen in a fuel cell but first you have to create the hydrogen.

Hydrogen is to a Hydrogen Fuel Cell
as
Electricty is to a Battery

**Veganpunk** · 08-02-10, 11:56 PM

Elixyr snus

**chainsnuser** · 09-02-10, 12:11 AM

None.

I (also) think that nuclear fusion is the only chance to prevent the "first world" from falling back to a pre-industrial state (around 50 years from now).

At the moment nuclear fusion (which of course is already possible) suffers from heavy inefficiency and/or incontrollabitlity. I really wonder why there isn't more research. Only two usable "small scale" reactors in France and the U.S., after all I know.

Cheers!

**justintempler** · 09-02-10, 12:15 AM

**sgreger1** · 09-02-10, 12:33 AM

Originally posted by justintempler

There is no one solution that will replace oil. It's going to be a fragmented solution.

Coal, Natural Gas, Hydroelectric, Nuclear, Wind, Biomass, Solar PV, Geothermal, Solar Thermal, Tidal, Wave

Hydrogen is not an answer. Hydrogen is not a source of energy. You still have to use another form of energy to create hydrogen. You're still going to need to use wind, solar, coal etc in order to create the hydrogen. You can store hydrogen in a fuel cell but first you have to create the hydrogen.

Hydrogen is to a Hydrogen Fuel Cell
as
Electricty is to a Battery

Your right, there will be no one thing of course. But there has to be some main source of power by which we fuel things. Right now it's oil, but like you said, it's already conveniently created for us, all we have to do is expend energy to harvest it.

And using the laser thing I linked to above, you can use hydrogen to create electricity in a giant factory somewhere, and then use the electricity for the car, house etc. I don't think hydrogen fuel cells will ever really work unless something amazing happens. But it might.

Since we've got some pretty redistributive, big government style ideas floating around this whole energy/green debate across the globe, why not do the obvious thing and just tax the hell out of them evil rich oil companies and use all the money to invest in researching alternatives?

Lol, i'm sure that wouldn't hold in court though; government targeting a certain industry with fees which will be used to prop up other industries in an attempt to destory the (oil) first industry, using it's own money.

**Mordred** · 09-02-10, 12:46 AM

Nuclear power. Zero emissions, next to no risk (unless you get criminally negligent) and best of all, we've already got it. Of course we should continue to research other sources to supplement and eventually replace nuclear power, but currently, it's all we've got.

And really, that's why I positively hate Greenpeace and most other eco-movements. They rabidly oppose nuclear power. So on the one hand, they hate oil and coal, but on the other, they also hate the only viable medium-term alternative. Don't they see that they're steering us back into the middle-ages of living frugally?

Of course they do. And that's where the hypocrisy is. The green movement USED to be about avoiding pollution, but no longer. It's become pure Luddism/naive communism, but they refuse to call it that.

**MrAbstracto** · 09-02-10, 01:00 AM

Originally posted by Mordred

Nuclear power. Zero emissions, next to no risk (unless you get criminally negligent) and best of all, we've already got it. Of course we should continue to research other sources to supplement and eventually replace nuclear power, but currently, it's all we've got.

And really, that's why I positively hate Greenpeace and most other eco-movements. They rabidly oppose nuclear power. So on the one hand, they hate oil and coal, but on the other, they also hate the only viable medium-term alternative. Don't they see that they're steering us back into the middle-ages of living frugally?

Of course they do. And that's where the hypocrisy is. The green movement USED to be about avoiding pollution, but no longer. It's become pure Luddism/naive communism, but they refuse to call it that.

+1

**sgreger1** · 09-02-10, 01:06 AM

Originally posted by Mordred

Nuclear power. Zero emissions, next to no risk (unless you get criminally negligent) and best of all, we've already got it. Of course we should continue to research other sources to supplement and eventually replace nuclear power, but currently, it's all we've got.

And really, that's why I positively hate Greenpeace and most other eco-movements. They rabidly oppose nuclear power. So on the one hand, they hate oil and coal, but on the other, they also hate the only viable medium-term alternative. Don't they see that they're steering us back into the middle-ages of living frugally?

Of course they do. And that's where the hypocrisy is. The green movement USED to be about avoiding pollution, but no longer. It's become pure Luddism/naive communism, but they refuse to call it that.

It's so true. Nuclear power produces waste, like anything, but it isn't spewed out into the atmosphere, instead it is wrapped up tightly in boxes and burried untill we can figure out how to get rid of it. We should just blow it all out into space lol. It is something we already have and makes massive amounts of energy at a reasonable price, and in a very green way.

**RobsanX** · 09-02-10, 01:52 AM

Nuclear power sounds good to me!

**Premium Parrots** · 09-02-10, 01:54 AM

my wife produces enough methane to power a generator to make electricity to service a hundred homes.......and a garage.

**lxskllr** · 09-02-10, 03:05 AM

I think people need to ditch the all or nothing mentality. Solar, wind, water, fuel cell... all have a place to take the load off of old tech solutions. Even if they don't work for 100% of the power, it'll help reduce fossil fuel usage, and postpone old tech power supply upgrades. It could be just enough to buy us some time before we run out of easily exploitable energy.

**Mr. Snuffleupagus** · 09-02-10, 03:11 AM

They are growing solar panels from tobacco plants in Berkeley:
http://www.solarfeeds.com/ecofriend/...hetic-pv-cells

**sgreger1** · 09-02-10, 04:44 AM

Originally posted by justintempler

That was an excellent video. I hope this generation makes these future predictions come to life, as those from the 60's onward have thusfar failed in delivering. I like the 40 miles on electricity idea because I drive less than 40 miles. When does the colt come out?

**Roo** · 09-02-10, 06:07 AM

Originally posted by lxskllr

I think people need to ditch the all or nothing mentality. Solar, wind, water, fuel cell... all have a place to take the load off of old tech solutions. Even if they don't work for 100% of the power, it'll help reduce fossil fuel usage, and postpone old tech power supply upgrades. It could be just enough to buy us some time before we run out of easily exploitable energy.

Yep, I couldn't agree more. Employ whatever method works to supplement the norm, wherever it works to produce energy at a rate far more efficient than that used to produce it.

Alternative Energy Solutions

Alternative Energy Solutions

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