Off-Topic III: The Revengening!

[Wolfshade]

Yes, one only has to look at Germany for their brilliant solar projects (see previous) to look at how bad and ineffective solar is.

Offshore wind I think has potential, as long as it does not damage marine habbitats, infact they could be used to create artificial reefs to protect marine life, hmm that's a thought.

[Psychosplodge]

I think the easiest way to do offshore is use the oil/gas platforms as they become redundant as they're already there...
They're potentially hazardous to birds though.

[eldargal]

Solar is good for supplementing power supplies and there are some nifty developments like clear solar panels that could replace window glass but you are still going to need nuclear to generate the vast amounts of cheap energy modern economies need.

[daboarder]

just no

[eldargal]

Yup. Not fission though, fission sucks. [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITER"]Fusion ftw yo[/URL].

[daboarder]

if you can get it, but the reaction cannot be maintained due to magnetic field decay.

[eldargal]

Pfft, they will figure it out eventually.

[daboarder]

they are on the clock, we do not have a decade of research time left to us, hell its likely we're already to late and the end is here

[Wolfshade]

Whilst I think Iter is good, and indeed is the most traditional form, there is another experiment (can't think of its name at the moment) that uses laser beams to collapse pellets of material together (through light pressure) and that I think will be more viable initially.

If we can build in solar into everyday things then it would be great, you know like roofs, windows etc. And build houses with proper insulation ([url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-25403897[/url] there is another one which just uses passive heat rather than needing heating per se). Water capture for flushing / watering the garden

Yes the cost is higher than normal to begin with, but it will pay for itself in time, it isn't like a washing machine that is replaced every 5-10 years. These things can last for centuries.

[daboarder]

I liked the solar roads concept on kickstarter, way to little funding to see it to completion, but good thinking and enough to get started