General Discussion

RC

(25,592 posts)

15. What is stopping us is reality.

Mon Nov 11, 2013, 10:39 AM

Nov 2013

How do you power a passenger or cargo plane on wind, solar or hydro power? How do you get enough energy to refine iron or aluminum ore into the finished metal? How do you power that tractor working out in the field all day? What about the energy needed to refine the ingredients to make the batteries to power our vehicles, let alone keep them charged?

The real problem concerning our energy needs is too many people for this wet rock to support. We get our numbers down to something reasonable and our energy needs drop accordingly. Our skies clear, our carbon footprint shrinks.
Otherwise we are just dealing with the symptoms.

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44 replies

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Highlight:

We Have the Renewable Energy We Need to Power the World—So What's Stopping Us? [View all] xchrom Nov 2013 OP

I think what's stopping us is... CanSocDem Nov 2013 #1

Too many end timers no doubt madokie Nov 2013 #2

"End timers" and oil barons. CanSocDem Nov 2013 #3

Corporations who get tax write-offs RoccoR5955 Nov 2013 #4

k/r marmar Nov 2013 #5

Oil is still profitable silly, TBF Nov 2013 #6

Big oil, gas, nukes & greed? grahamhgreen Nov 2013 #7

Yep. progressoid Nov 2013 #12

I'm worried about all of the unreported wind spills in North Dakota Orrex Nov 2013 #8

GASP!11 a sun leak in arizona? xchrom Nov 2013 #10

And Solar Flares, the President should have warned the American people Heather MC Nov 2013 #23

Solar flares caused Benghazi. Orrex Nov 2013 #24

I completely agree, it's called Geothermal Energy sylvanus Nov 2013 #9

Geo is one we never really hear much about but should 7962 Nov 2013 #11

I think the big issue with geo is cost Marrah_G Nov 2013 #21

Cost and location, mostly jeff47 Nov 2013 #30

Greed, at all income and educational levels. bluedeathray Nov 2013 #13

Corruption nt CFLDem Nov 2013 #14

What is stopping us is reality. RC Nov 2013 #15

Energy storage and transmission are limiting factors bigbrother05 Nov 2013 #25

The only one of your examples that's a problem is the airplane. jeff47 Nov 2013 #32

I do not think you really understand how much power we are dealing with here. RC Nov 2013 #36

No, I'm well aware of the quantities involved jeff47 Nov 2013 #37

Thank you for this post dreamnightwind Nov 2013 #43

Yep. The math is against us. hunter Nov 2013 #39

well, wasn't there that Congressman from Texas NewJeffCT Nov 2013 #16

I'm not sure about that one KansDem Nov 2013 #27

here is his quote on the wind being a finite resource NewJeffCT Nov 2013 #33

Unbelievable! KansDem Nov 2013 #35

re:We Have the Renewable Energy We Need to Power the World—So What's Stopping Us? allan01 Nov 2013 #17

money sure isn't stopping the us from bombing and invading lands 8000 miles away solarhydrocan Nov 2013 #41

Here's what environmentalist turned nuclear power shill George Monbiot had to say about the report nxylas Nov 2013 #18

Exxon. Shell. BP. Koch Brothers. CanonRay Nov 2013 #19

Greed Marrah_G Nov 2013 #20

+1 LWolf Nov 2013 #42

What's stopping us is that we don't have the right incentives Arneoker Nov 2013 #22

The world is already powered by renewable energy The2ndWheel Nov 2013 #26

Pure unfiltered Laziness. DetlefK Nov 2013 #28

I read somewhere that the energy from the sun panader0 Nov 2013 #29

One quits smoking by quitting smoking. One quits fossil fuels by quitting fossil fuels. hunter Nov 2013 #31

Here's some tech that looks interesting dreamnightwind Nov 2013 #44

These: Aristus Nov 2013 #34

5 Star Recommend. Thanks, xchrom. nt Zorra Nov 2013 #38

fuel from water (H20- Hydrogen) powered by solar photovoltaics- Free! solarhydrocan Nov 2013 #40