I'm sorry - but that is absolutely incorrect. All predictions show fossil fuel usage (petroleum in particular) increasing for at least the next 20 years. The only question is whether or not we will continue efforts to clean it up.
Alternative energies (wind/solar/geothermal) will never become overly useful until the electrical grid is modified. You simply can't generate large volumes of power in one area and transmit it over the grid using existing technology.
The alternatives that will make some headway are nuclear power and fuel supply extenders like ethanol and biodiesel.
You've respectfully way overstepped. Fossil fuel usage will go up, but the reason why is the geometric increase by China and India. The fear of oil as an economic weapon capable of destroying economies is forcing post-industrial and industrial countries that import oil to move quickly into alternative choices.
Here in the USA, natural gas usage is climbing upward due to new power plants using it as a "clean" energy alternative. The downside is that these plants eat up huge sums of NG, forcing prices up on homeowners who heat with NG. I, personally, would like to see clean coal, nuclear, or a wide variety of alternative energy instead of NG. lets leave that gas for heating our homes and powering certain specific industries.
You mention ethanol, which is, in fact horribly inefficient, requiring more energy to make than what it saves. Its usage increases costs of food products that use its crops. the oil price run up last year caused food shortages in third-world countries as farmers took the higher sales price of selling to ethanol makers than food wholesalers.
I'll agree that an upgrade to a smart grid would improve the efficiency of alternative energy. But the fact is that various forms of alternative energy are being used in large scale energy generation projects. Take a drive across Interstate 80 from Wyoming west and you will see several successful/profitable wind farms. In addition, new farms are being built on the east side of the Columbia Gorge in both Washington and Oregon. It also should be noted that many farmers who sit close to a major electrical grid on the Great Plains, have set up large windmills to generate additional income.
Obviously, wind has its shortcomings. It's reliant on nature and daylight (most of the time) to generate energy. But as a secondary or tertiary energy source it's a very worthy investment. Just ask XCel or read their investors reports.
Tidal wave energy has a huge upside. The Netherlands and Sweden are investing heavily in its potential. In the USA, Oregon St. University is leading the study in various energy collection methods.
Solar energy as seen by by the energy industry has always struggled to get off the ground. I am in the camp that believes the industry has been barking up the wrong tree. They should be partnering with commercial property owners to develop rooftop farms in large and small industrial properties. No environmental impact statements, massive legal fees, and years of delay. These mini to mid size solar farms have an excellent chance of being a financial windfall. The jobs generated by such large-scale deployment are permanent. Of course the technology is off-the-shelf.
On the residential side, solar shingles (1.03 million Google hits) could become part of new building opportunities. They are currently being tried out with positive results in various parts of the country in new green housing developments.
The point to be made is that our electrical needs will continue to grow. By smart investment this country can create hundreds of thousands of jobs around alternative energy, even while we increase nuclear power (the trick is getting Yucca Mountain open).
Finally, algae has huge potential, especially since it can be grown vertically indoors in tubes. Think of all the empty factories in the rust belt that could be converted. Not to mention the ample water supplies. Studies have already found a handful of strains that have viable capability of producing refinery quality oil. I'm all for getting anything that gets us off of arab oil.
