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> Some prefer to describe the situation concerning energy and sustainability not as a "problem" (to which there is a solution), but a "predicament", to which th
by mpyne 13y ago
> Some prefer to describe the situation concerning energy and sustainability not as a "problem" (to which there is a solution), but a "predicament", to which there is an outcome, though not one which returns the system to the status quo ante.
Well you could probably count me in that camp. There's no perfect answer (though the various forms of solar are pretty close at least as far as energy generation goes). Instead there's a suite of options to get us to "least bad".
- dredmorbius 13y agoThere's a sizable contingent which feels that high-tech (e.g., electric generating) solar, wind, etc., aren't generally viable. I suspect that long-term, the amount of energy available via renewables will likely be a minority fraction of what's presently consumed in the US, on either a per-capita or absolute level. Which suggests a future in which we're looking at, say, 25 quads (1 billion joules / 300 TWh) or less total annual energy. What that suggests in terms of energy-based services and goods available becomes an interesting exercise.