And until we conquer our own planet and harness its energy, we'll never conquer our nearby star and planetary system and harness its energy. Until then, we'll remain a measly Type-0 civilization capable of only a few rare slingshot type attempts at nearby orbs.
That's one reason the Moon is important - it will be the first off-Earth filling station.
There are some real problems due to lunar tides and a non spherical Earth that may preclude such an endeavor.
Doc
Space elevator? How many Mohammedan-hijacked planes would it take to bring that down? And I have no doubt they'd try.