[tomder55]

So? Do you have ANY solutions? There are no "clean" energies. Copper mining is one of the most environmentally damaging industries there is, and ALL sources of energy depend on copper.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copperhill,_Tennessee

Wondering where all the rare earth metals needed will come from for solar and all these other so called green solutions . When you think about it ... with oil ,and gas production in the US and the continent ,we are on the verge of energy independence. But currently we are completely dependent on China for the procurement of the rare earth minerals needed for solar ,battery , and wind .

Again ,I have no problem with development of alts ,or even the government investing in the research . I'm an all hands on deck type of person.

What I don't like ,regardless of the energy source ,is governement subsidizing it .(and yes I do include ones that so called 'big oil' are entitled to. ) If they could make solar cells with more earth abundant minerals ,and make them commercially viable ;they would naturally compete with carbon based energy sources.

I'm also with Ex ,who points out that solar and wind are 'old technology ' ,and a real 21st century solution is potentially in fusion .

Tal dismisses carbon based energy as transitionary . Right now I call it pretty much the only game in town. So unless you are some kind of reductionist who doesn't want to see us have the ability to fuel a 21st century global economy then it's incumbent that we grow the carbon energy supply .Destroy the carbon energy industry ,as the emperor would do ,at our peril .

[paraclete]

Lets us not get back to aspirational technologies like fusion, that requires enormous quantities of energy, you may as well think of H3, but there is much that hasn't been exploited, wave, tide and we can transition away from carbon based transport

[Catsmine]

we can transition away from carbon based transport

That was my question: to What? Nuclear produced electric? Your country doesn't seem to want to go that way.

[paraclete]

You are correct Nuclear has been strongly opposed here by environmental groups and is considered political suicide. Finding a place to dispose of waste is the big problem with every part of unpopulated country considered to contain sacred sites for the aboriginal. Every project gets bogged down in the courts for years in the approval process. Electric vehicles are becoming more feasible and there has been a huge take up of solar, so a combination becomes possible however we are a long way from non carbon long distance travel and would need a different power system and different thinking to make it possible, high speed rail becomes an option. Wave and tidal energy is possible , we have a huge coast line even thermal is possible. What we are talking about here as anywhere is the will to do it as well as lowering the cost.

[cdad]

There are lots of ways to create energy. The biggest hurrdle is how to overcome the reliance on oil for energy production. I have seen amonia based power plants whereby the amonia turns a turbine and it creates electricity. The kicker is enviromentalists block it because it has to be placed in water to work. They fear a leak will be the end of the world. Another thing is that Tesla had shown us that you can get electricity from the earth itself. Why it isnt being followed up on is beyond me. Another way to get energy is from space and port it back to earth via microwave and stationary satalites. With so many ways it is just a matter of choosing the correct horse to win the race. Hydrogen is making a comback as when it is burned what you have left over is water. Take your pick - plenty to choose from.

[paraclete]

Yes but most technologies are not commercial, I'm an investor in Thermal as well as high tech Solar, but the performance of the thermal company is disappointing with the plants not really getting much beyond prototype and the solar seems to take forever to get to the market. Scaling things up is where the blockage is. There are plenty of schemes for getting energy at the micro level and they work but you cannot scale them up