What Form of Energy is the energy of the future?

Question

What Form of Energy is the energy of the future?

Answer 1

Wind and solar

Answer 2

Nuclear fusion.

Answer 3

If you are referring for energy for community use in the United States, then I would say wind energy is the energy for the future. The US is far behind other countries and regions (particularly Europe) in taping this green energy source. Many manufacturing companies of wind turbines (Seimens, General Electric, etc.) cannot make enough of these machines to satisfy demand. At some point wind farms will come to the United States, its is just a matter of time.

The US does have one weakness is adapting any new serious power source  - and that is the electronic grid. Our distribution of electricity throughout the US is archaic and the system is inefficient. VP Cheney at one point vowed to overhall the grid in an effort to get energy efficiency (Bush's 1st term), but he bailed when his staff realized what a task it would be to make a difference.

Solar energy would seem to be the best energy for the future - for personal use or use outside the National Grid. Solar energy is being used with more frequency in Africa and the Far East. Currently, it is still economically more efficient for most homeowners to have their electric supply come from a community supply (grid), but eventually the technology used in solar panels will become less expensive and such panels will be mass produced reducing cost for both individuals and companies. If oil prices stay high, we will see this happen sooner rather than later.

So short summary:

Communities - wind

individual homes / buildings - solar

Answer 4

I would suggest conservation of energy, and the pursuit of efficiency. Then many technologies we have today will work better. I predict solar will dominate with wind and tidal power filling the gap. But first we must de-throne fossil fuels as they suppress all other forms of energy usage, and if we don't it won't matter because I also predict on our current course it will be too late for us in the next 5 to 10 years.

Answer 5

Ocean power

the deference in temperature from the surface and deep water.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_therm...

Answer 6

Solar energy will never work for 3/4 of the nation. It takes of far too much space and is unreliable because of weather variation.

Wind is proving more and more to be too dangerous to wild life (wind turbines in Colorado have killed thousands of raptors, many from already endangered species).

The only long term solution is nuclear. First tried and true fission (not a single life lossed in the USA in all its history), and eventually in a century or so, fussion.

Burying the waste is a stupid solution. It should simply be launched into space and inserted into a solar orbit where it will be happily gobbled up by the biggest fusion reactor in the solar system.

Oil shortage? Global warming? Give me a break. If it is manmade (which I doubt), the blame belongs solely on the back of the anti-nuclear activists. If we'd built another 100 nuclear plants we could all be driving battery powered cars now with zero atmospheric polution.

Answer 7

In a long term future, we have to go toward solar energy which is 99% of energy on the earth surface.

We will not run out of silicon (in sand)

We will not run out of sun

But solar has different form:

hydro-power (yes, the rain coming from evaporation is due to the sun)

wave power

wind power

direct solar radiation: photovoltaic and solar thermal.

biomass (plants get their energy from the sun)

oceanic streams.

and regarding the FORM OF ENERGY

- electricity

- chemical energy

- heat

- mechanical energy

- etc..

WE NEED THEM ALL

There are for example now over 30 sources of renewable energy which we can harness,

Answer 8

One of the best form of energy could be the energy from super-conductors. This is the field where the development is not much visible and needs lot of focus.To obtain Energy from super conductors, it has to be triggered just once and energy will be continous and it can be controlled too. But the growth in this field is currently very limited and to get this form of enery, currenly only unstable elements are used. Need to work in the right direction to have this energy available to all at affordable price

Answer 9

For the foreseable future, oil, gas and coal, for transportation fuels and other thermal energy needs, for power generation, nuclear.