What if electricity were free?

Question

Say we learn to tap into ocean currents for power. They flow 24/7/365. Make a couple of turbines, same as windmills, and drop them in the sea where the current is strong.

What would become of sociatal structure? The economy? The environment?

Answer 1

Well, if they nationalized ExxonMobile and all the utility companies in the US to get past the greed issue, you could slap a solar panel on every house in America and probably give every American a hydrogen vehicle. The greed problem is what is keeping us from advancing.  They only care about money and their wallet, and now will go in search for more oil even to fill their pocketbook even though our atmosphere is heating up and the ice caps are melting.

Answer 2

if it was free, we'd be wasting more than ever. But at the same time the environment will be free of smoke from oils or other fuels. Society will not be tuned for much electrical efficiency, our home computers will be giant 25kW behemoths that does what a 300w one does today. The laptops, on the other hand is still very efficient. Florescent lamps would be extremely unpopular, incandescent and arc lamps the only choices. Oil is still black gold, but our cars are all electric, focusing more on capacity than efficiency.

Everything there is today that makes thing move or work is on electricity, power bills or companies unheard of.

More is less will be the new saying, instead of less is more.

Answer 3

SOLAR power IS free, as is wind power, water turbines are in use at dams.

Answer 4

Personally, I believe it would turn the economy upside down. If electricity was free, it would mean that the supply far outweighed the demand. Petrol and gas would then be redundant and eclectic powered cars and heating systems would be wide spread.

I think that oil in general is the modern day gold, when thinking about the strength of currency. It would also mean a huge loss in tax revenues, which would have to be replaced and I would suspect that taxation would be added to food, cloths and entertainment as well as having huge increases on income taxes and VAT.

I have no references to this argument and it is only my point of view

Answer 5

Some places do have tidal generators.  And they are even building some in British Columbia now I believe.

Naturally the environment would benefit.  Especially the atmosphere.  Wind and tidal power generation has no real negative impact on the environment.  

It probably would help the economy in the long run.  Cheaper electricity would mean cheaper production, which would lead to lower prices, etc etc.

I can't see how it would much affect the societal structure.  Maybe kids would leave lights on more without being called on it by parents scrambling to pay high electric costs.

BTW, British Columbia's power production (BC Hydro) is almost entirely hydro-electric and rates are lower there due to small fuel costs....not to mention that BC Hydro is a citizen owned co-op and not a typical for-profit organisation such as many in the USA are.