If we can survive this decade, we may be energy independent yet.
Nice as that is, I've begun to theorize that solving any such problem creates many more to fight about. People will always demand more and better stuff at the cost of freedom, taxes, and civility.
Therefore, the problem is not energy- but those who are never happy in life and constantly complaining about things...
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the federal research budget on alternate energy research runs about 1.5 billion spread over 4 years. The federal research budget on nanotechnology run 1+ billion every year.
imho the alternate energy solutions will come from nano technology as materials reasearchers find better faster smarter materials for catalysts, semipermiable membranes & hydrogen storage.
I enjoy reading the flow of research on this stuff. imho we're within five years of some major major technological break throughs.
What's your take on superconduction? I've always had a childish dream of building hugh nuclear plants out in the desert where nobody will complain, but then you'd need to transmit the power... using some new ceramics, perhaps.