All this talk about fusion reactors, solar cells on every rooftop, and bazillions of wind turbines reminds me of the only economics joke I know.
There were three guys in a lifeboat, a scientist, a priest, and an economist. They had cases of canned food, but no can opener.
The scientist, flipping open the magnifying glass on his Swiss Army knife, said we must try to think of a way to get the sunlight to heat the metal cans so they expand and pop open. The priest, believing that approach was misguided, wanted everyone in the lifeboat to join him in prayer for divine intervention – a miracle that would open the cans. The economist said, don't be silly. Let's assume we have a can opener, and put our minds to work figuring out how we should distribute the goods
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Fusion reactors are, so far, science fiction, there will never be enough power from solar cells and wind turbines (as we know that technology now), water cannot be a source of chemical energy because the hydrogen is already fully oxidized. Does anyone remember the Cold Fusion fraud of the late 1970s? Besides, we are still burning COAL for most of our electric power.
We can either put some money into R&D until we find something that actually might work, or we can cynically assume that all the usual suspects (Lockheed Martin, General Electric, OPEC, the Eastern Monied Interests, the Liberal Press, the Girl Scouts, etc.) are involved in a vast conspiracy to keep us from the unlimited supply of cost-free energy that we all deserve
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