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If clean energy manages to get cheap enough eventually it will be easier to synthesize simple hydrocarbons out of atmospheric and water than to drill them out o

If clean energy manages to get cheap enough eventually it will be easier to synthesize simple hydrocarbons out of atmospheric and water than to drill them out of the group and we can end up carbon neutral as a whole. We'll see how cheap midday solar ends up when the price finishes dropping.

nabla9 9y ago
The cost of solar stabilizes when the cost is determined by the cost of land, energy storage, electric grid and transfer cost and installation and maintenance. If you get the conversion efficiency to the same level as photosynthesis (30% nominally) the cost of energy could approach the cost of producing biofuels.
- mtgx 9y ago
  Compared to the rest, which are much more static in terms of cost, energy storage will continue to drop in cost almost as much as solar panels will over the next 10-15 years.
- IAmEveryone 9y ago
  The efficiency of photosynthesis is nowhere near 30%. It’s 3% if so.
  - wrycoder 9y ago
    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photosynthetic_efficiency https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photosynthetic_efficiency You’re both right - there’s lots of room for practical improvement.
- sandworm101 9y ago
  Even if that number is correct for photosynthesis, there are lots of inefficiencies when it comes to converting the products of photosynthesis (biomass) into usable energy (electricity). Wood pellets burn well, but people forget that wood pellets use energy in their creation (drying) and transport (trucks). There are also a host of evils in terms of habitat destruction and emission of pollutants other than CO2. Solar panels can live quietly and locally, producing electricity directly rather than trying to convert it too and from biomass.
- lostapathy 9y ago
  Except - lots of current biofuels are thought to be "fossil fuel subsidized" and not that energy positive. Solar panels also don't wear out soil nutrients, don't need crop rotation, and are probably much less likely to be completely destroyed by weather patterns than the average corn crop grown for biofuels.

nabla9 9y ago

The cost of solar stabilizes when the cost is determined by the cost of land, energy storage, electric grid and transfer cost and installation and maintenance. If you get the conversion efficiency to the same level as photosynthesis (30% nominally) the cost of energy could approach the cost of producing biofuels.

mtgx 9y ago
Compared to the rest, which are much more static in terms of cost, energy storage will continue to drop in cost almost as much as solar panels will over the next 10-15 years.
IAmEveryone 9y ago
The efficiency of photosynthesis is nowhere near 30%. It’s 3% if so.
- wrycoder 9y ago
  https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photosynthetic_efficiency https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photosynthetic_efficiency You’re both right - there’s lots of room for practical improvement.
sandworm101 9y ago
Even if that number is correct for photosynthesis, there are lots of inefficiencies when it comes to converting the products of photosynthesis (biomass) into usable energy (electricity). Wood pellets burn well, but people forget that wood pellets use energy in their creation (drying) and transport (trucks). There are also a host of evils in terms of habitat destruction and emission of pollutants other than CO2. Solar panels can live quietly and locally, producing electricity directly rather than trying to convert it too and from biomass.
lostapathy 9y ago
Except - lots of current biofuels are thought to be "fossil fuel subsidized" and not that energy positive. Solar panels also don't wear out soil nutrients, don't need crop rotation, and are probably much less likely to be completely destroyed by weather patterns than the average corn crop grown for biofuels.