What Do YOU Think Will Happen To Renewable Energy?

Interesting questions! To answer what I think will be the best thing to happen to renewable energy in the next 12 months...well, would it be too self serving to say that I graduate this coming December from the Renewable Energy Technology Program here at Columbia Gorge Community College? Hmm, I guess maybe?

Seriously, I think that the best case scenario is something that Stephen Lacey just posted about here about Westinghouse taking solar from the early adopter market to the mass market by selling through big box retailers.

I think that this will be important because even if you aren't a "do it yourselfer" that seeing retail displays in big box retailers will establish the use of renewable energy systems (not just solar, by the way) as something that is "normal" and not just something that is just a fad or on the fringe.

Regarding the "worst case scenario", I at some point, maybe not within the next 12 months, but at some point I expect to see big oil dropping their pants and lowering the cost of gas in order to nip market acceptance of renewables in the bud. Once people have been lulled back into a sense of security, boom! The price of gasoline will once again go up and at that point the current momentum in renewables will have been lost.

I hope not, but that's what I'm afraid of right now!

Bob "FreeAsTheWind" Mitchell

Renewable energy which uses sources from sun, wind, water and waves supports sustainable development by reducing carbon emissions. Renewable energy sources are crucial to sustainable human life on earth.

http://www.dynglobal.com

The next year is going to be a year of change in a lot of ways.A new era in renewable energy is dawning.Hydrogen storage will play a giant role in saving energy,along with CSPs becoming the major supplier of solar power. We will go to a new style of off grid,on site,decentralized production.Power in our homes will be self serving.The bad part will be if the solar flares knock out all EMF on earth and we are forced to create new ways to have the electricty privliges we now abuse. Maybe free energy will over come the petro market and man kind can surive on new ways to produce energy.

I just saw a former oil company executive on CNN with the Louisiana oil spill coverage. He was trying to quell public outrage over the vast oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

I can't quote his exact words but it was to the effect that "There are 35,000 wells in the Gulf of Mexico. And we have been drilling there for years and nothing like this has ever happened before. That is a good safety record."

That is NOT a good safety record. That is pure dumb luck. 35,000 wells in the Gulf of Mexico means that we have 35,000 chances of something like this happening somewhere else.

As for the arguement "....this is only one well...."------we only have one earth, and we all have to live on it. If you want to make millions of dollars in oil---go live in the marshlands being inundated with crude oil and get your oil with a shovel.

We do not need oil. Biofuels and methane can do anything we need done.

Will bankers and big oil lead humanity into an enlightened 21st. Century of green energy and humanitarianism or will this be the century of World Totalitarianism of the New World Order? We know that "morality" is a "no" word for bankers, big oil and investors alike; yet they are leading us into the New World Order with their heartless and coldblooded culture of greed by the few. World conquest by tyranny is not new and it certainly is not orderly; it is chaos. Hitler already tried World domination by tyranny in the last century. The nations of Greece, Latvia, and Iceland have already fallen into "order" and Spain, France, Germany, Portugal, Ireland, Italy, United Kingdom and the United States of America are scheduled to fall into "order". The American people do not want to lose our Democracy, Independence and Freedom; yet this World totalitarian agenda emanates from the United States of America and is lead by the Bush/Obama Administration in our name. The World is looking at the American people as their last resort for salvation and praying that the American people will stand up to this evil force and do the right thing. By saving ourselves, we will also save them. We are the only ones who can change the direction of our own country with what freedoms we have left.
2010 is a fast pace year beginning in January with the Supreme Court technically overthrowing our Constitution by interpreting "we the people" to mean "we the Multinational corporations".
In May, there was a complete collapse of our Democracy by our complicit President and Corrupt Congress to gain control of either the criminal Trilateral Bankers or of Big Oil. Today we have an out of control oil well that is a controlled genocide of the American economy and ecology. There is going to be scheduled chaos through the remainder of the year.

The current course of development of renewable energy is based on the lack of a public policy to support it here in the US and the continued hostility to it from for profit "public" utilities using coal and oil. In the next 12 months, the best thing that could happen to propel renewable energy forward is the adoption of a national policy to encourage (subsidize) the creation of renewable energy. And biofuels do not qualify as a renewable energy source, in my opinion, because of their impact on food production and the destruction of wilderness that occurs when more land is put into agricultural use. A national policy should adopt the Feed in Tarrif, such as in Germany, so that the capital costs of constructing renewable energy sources are quickly recovered, even for (especially for) residential systems.

The worst thing that can happen to renewable energy in the next 12 month is the adoption of the current climate change bill in congress which encourages more off shore drilling. This is the problem, not the solution. It may take a miracle to change the mind set that currently keeps renewable energy hog tied. Or maybe this Gulf oil disaster will do the trick. Whatever happens, we as a nation have to see that it is in our national interest to get off the oil habit and to do it quickly. We only have one earth and it is time national policy put the preservation of our planet on the top of the agenda.

On the optimist side, the future of renewable energy is dependent on CHANGE in the allocation of energy.
Fact, World Bankers and Big Oil have a Totalitarian New World Order energy agenda. World Bankers produce nothing; Big Oil produces Energy in the form of fossil fuels. That fossil fuel product line is a mandate for its continued use into the 21st Century. Indeed, the largest consumer of fossil fuels is the U.S government (primarily the military) and our foreign wars are fought over the "strategic" control of oil.
20th Century (oil) Energy Technology is Jet and internal combustion engines. There is no public funded renewable energy science effort being made to break that world energy power of Big Oil.
Dr. Chu is a political appointee and a vassal of Big Oil. The Dept. of Energy is controlled by Big Oil and does not want any new advancement in renewable energy science. DOE has been blocking new advancements in renewable energy science by cutting off all public funding for independent scientist and inventors (last 10 years).
DOE is a political entity that is subservient to Big Oil and the Multinational Corporations; their research and development is orientated to developing the corporate product line; not getting out of line with new renewable energy advancements .
Allocation of energy resource is what the New World Order is all about. Renewable Energy is on the other end of the spectrum and advancement in science to outmode fossil fuels for energy is the biggest threat that Big Oil has.
The Chinese, on the other hand, show interest in advancement of renewable energy earth science primarily because of the counties large population and their new growing sustainable economy. Starting out undeveloped and new has its advantages and renewable energy should flourish in China.

Renewable Energy is a energy that is fully depending only on natural resources.If it was tapped cheaply the scope will be vast.So the cheap and quality energy savers (like the batteries)must be invented quickly which will do some favour to the mankind by all means.

Science is growing, compare present technology with previous. There is not any limitation for knowledge. I believe all necessities are prepared by creator and it is our duty to think and find the bests for living. Living some years on the earth to improve ourselves and recognize good from bad for our future live.
I am a researcher with more than 40 years experiences. I have many inventions that several of them are for safe and clean energy generating such as flat large plate wind and hydro turbines. Their manufacturing process is simple and low cost. I have invented river turbine with high efficiency, and I have done many more.
We must to put away fossils sources energy for our protection and this will happen in future, soon or late.
Soon when we find a safe way for cooperation and late when we stand alone.

I believe the Oil spill will be a "blessing in Disguise", for the Biomass busines. Briquettes and Pellet made from clean awdut and Biomass will be used more and more in home heating systems. Biomass and Torrefied Biomas will be used in Electricity Generating Power Stations to supplement the Coal fuel. Woody Biomass will produce all the ETHANOL and Chemical currently made fro Foreign Oil. Bio-Char made from biomass will be used as a soil amendment.The YEARS of the Biomass revolution are coming.John O. Cree Industries

This is what will happen to Renewable Energy for some time to come: NOTHING! & NOT MUCH. The reason is that the bankers and those who are in bed with them like the utility companies, the oil companies, state legislators, federal (so-called) representatives, the federal reserve, and all the slimy lobbyist who grease the machine - are collectively killing not only innovation, but any chance to move this nation into any future that looks sustainable, democratic, and just. I have to state this. Using a renewable sector such as solar pv as an example - even with a fed ITC (sect 1603) at 30% rebated until at least the end of 2010, plus the value of the generated power, plus Renewable Energy Credits, and net-metering - the money will still not move. The banks and private investors seem to be stuck in the same false monetary and investment models that just collapsed and seem doomed to collapse again. The models stink of the banking and investment moguls intent on re-capturing as much of the rumored quadrillion's worth of derivatives out there as they can. They get billions from the people, but billions are not enough. They won't get their quadrillions or even trillions of this imaginary paper, but they will try to get it back at all the world's expense. We need energy. We need water. We need food. And the sad thing is that we have so many of the answers, but not enough guts to make them stick.

Economy far overshadows the environmental and energy issues now, closely followed by global security. Leaders and policymakers have had their heads turned and again, energy use is sidelined because it appears less immediate and less vote-catching.
The best thing that can realistically happen in the next year is that the issue is given the attention it deserves, that a scientific breakthrough in renewables such as the new solar cells catches world attention and that a committing programme for development is initiated.
The worst thing that can happen is that another scandal feeds the skeptics or that renewable energy slips further from view due to more world political or financial events.

The developing world is waiting for renewables to become less of a novelty 'experiment' and into the lives and businesses of normal people. The rhetoric about 'free' energy is no longer being listened to, flash to bang time is too long.
Each scientific development is fanfared into the public arena as though the newfangled instruments are being loaded into boxes for shipping already and of course this is very far from reality.