Quote from daddyeaux:
does anyone really think that OPEC will let alternate energy take market share from them?
OPEC can bury the Hydrogen and solar economy with one turn of the crank.....
The true suckers are the taxpayers that subsidize this stuff and the government that doles out millions in research grants.
Hydrogen production is primarily from the steam reformation of natural gas (currently in shortage) and is very thermodynamically unfavorable in that about 30% of the energy is heat loss in the production process.
but who cares, it gets people elected to office.
Oil is limited. OPEC cannot replenish its sources at the drop of the dime. I have read many various projections about the durability of oil as the main source of energy and at the current growth rate of the consumption, we got a few decades left.
Solar is the next best source of energy after natural gas that can be utilized by anyone and everyone. It is coming closer to being cost efficient every year (excluding any government support). Just after reading about some of these self sufficient homes and solar/windmill farms, there is no doubt in my mind about the potential of solar as a major supportive source of energy in the home & business. Did you know you can sell watts to the electricity grid? You can actually build an energy farm and make money from it.
All other forms of alternative energy are just under development. Some will work some will not. But you cannot deny simple facts of nature. Oil is not forever. You expect the world to wait till the last drop is used and then look toward new sources?
. This shouldn't discard a few and rare scientific research in the field more than research there are now real appartus which prove concretely that it can work the problem is the organisation of production, marketing etc. for people who are pure technologist and not businessmen that can be cumbersome indeed. So they had to wait the moment the medias will decide to put the accent on that. But those who are intelligent investors won't wait and would have put their money in the stuff before. The problem for them will be to avoid the charlatans. The stuff I gave above has been checked by scientific review that's how I know it in fact.