How close are we to an alternative energy for oil and what will it be?

Question

for example solar, wind etc (especially interested in the cost per Megawatt of these new technologies).

Answer 1

I don't know about cars or alternative oils.

But I do know if I put solar panels on my roof of my 3 bedroom house, it would only have to be a quarter size of the roof to run my households current electricity, infact if I was excessive with my electricity it would still run it.

It would cost me aprox $10,000 australian dollars to buy them. But then factor that it currently costs me aprox 1000 dollars each year in electricity bills plus the impact on the environment (and price increases). After 10 years or less (which is far less time than the mortgage on my house will take to pay off) I will start to make money from having the solar panels installed as I won't be paying bills. So I definately think solar is under rated. Plus it seems they are getting cheaper.

BTW Cloudy days are not an issue infact they catch solar better.

I really do think though that each country should be looking at what works for them and their paticular weather patterns.

Answer 2

BC Hydro is paying microproducers $88 per megawatt hour.

I think that about breaks even on a wind turbine. Doesn't cut it on a solar panel.

Answer 3

It's not going to be a silver bullet (one answer) but a shotgun blast (many answers).  Everything you named, plus a whole lot more.  Biofuels, solar, biomass, wind, you name it.

Solar is constantly coming down in price.  Wind is going to get cheaper because they're only starting to get good at making them.  China is the #1 producer of wind turbines.  They haven't even really started to figure out biofuels (hint: corn and soy are the wrong crops) and now Boeing has jumped into biofuels because airplanes use a lot of fuel, and high fuel prices will make people stop buying airplanes.   Nuclear power will also make a comeback.

You'll see the railroads re-electrify, so they'll be running on their own windmills and that'll make their fuel dirt cheap, which means they'll be way cheaper than trucks,  which will pull a lot of trucks off the road.

Answer 4

Well Fred, How many do you have available to you now? That works?

None.

Sure if you have a parking Lot size roof you can put up enough solar panels to run your coffee maker and maybe your PC,  want  to run your kitchen stove or water heater?  Good luck.

Does you neighborhood allow wind turbines?  I doubt it, if it did you have a constant source of wind?  Most don't.

Now to your car,  you can by the new hybrids, of course they still use gas at 4.00 a gallon, by the time you pay off the 40,50 or so thousand it will cost, gas will be 10 -15 a gallon.

compare all of this to energy produced by coal and Hydro, and there is NOT alternative.  Unless you are quite wealthy.