We need a great deal of basic physics research in such energy sources not funded by the government but by two guys in their garage.
Recently Japanese researchers had announced that they had produced energy without heat...cold fusion...using a liquid and metal. This ala the failed Pons experiment of 1989. Maybe the Japanese haven't achieved cold fusion, or maybe they have. Someday somewhere someone will! When we can take sea water and turn it directly into energy...we're in dutch.
Finally with oil...prices have come down twice now and have gone back up because of various scare stories. Its becoming exceptionally difficult to maintain oils price at $140 a barrel. Particular if the European bankers refuse to defend the €! Watch as a lot of supplies miraculously begin to appear on the market.
Cold fusion is a pipe dream. Deuterium-tritium fusion is on the way and will be putting elecric power into the grid by 2050. In Europe of course. The USA is not interested in doing such things domestically. This fusion is not the final answer since lithium reserves would be gone in 1000 years. Peak Lithium is still a ways off. Peak Uranium would be here this century and probably sooner rather than later but that is the old fission type nuke.