Everyone here has mentioned every form of alternative electricity production except wind power. Small electricity producing windmills placed on floating platforms with hydrogen storage tanks A. uses no natural gas (a finite resource) B. no nuclear power (my choice for major power production) C. Needs no transmission lines or additional infrastructure. True, hydrogen production ALSO has environmental side effects, but can we afford to be choosey when we know oil and gas supply is finite and unstable?
A 30 year debate has gotten us nowhere to this point and frankly, we are pretty much on our own individually as to how we approach energy consumption.
There is no pie in the sky technology that is going to bail us out of crisis at the last moment. But for heavens sake, arguing about apples and oranges being fruit is not going to accomplish anything!! Pick the fruit while it's ripe or the opportunity will pass by when the tree is dead.
Environmentalists are the chain saw.
Wind power chops up eagles.
This one's broke.
How do I get the hydrogen from the off-shore platform back to shore? Where do I store the hydrogen? How do I maintain the platforms and windmills? Lot's of infrastructure will be required.
There is no such thing as "free". Everything has a cost.