Just bumping this thread as I feel its highly important.

Companies are buying up alternative energy sources, yet the US can't seem to break its addiction to oil. I wonder why? Too much money to be made in that sector and pretty much our whole economy revolves around it.

We'd be better off without oil, but it would take some serious development to get 'clean.' I'd say investing in an alternative lifestyle is much more intelligent than thinking we can keep behaving the way we've been acting for the past 50 odd years.

The resources of the planet will run out sooner rather than later, but I think the average American hasn't been hit with a personal hit yet.

Once the average person cannot afford a gallon of gas, then things will start to change.

Until that time I only see increased food prices, gas prices, and pretty much everything else in between.

Get ready for the 'big crunch.'

Excellent find Biggie! This is mind blowing if it is in fact legit. This would make a huge difference for the average home owner / family in converting to solar power. Flagged and starred.

Good find yeah did you see the record profits by big oil that came out? Trust me oil is going no where anytime soon. I think it is going to take everyone to stay at home bring the economy to a complete halt for the government to do something. I think it has to start with the truck drivers and delivery people (UPS & FED Ex). If those guys stop working we would see a change. I think everyone needs to boycott exxon mobile. That is one small thing us average joes can do. If everyone boycotted them something would have to change.

Originally posted by biggie smalls
they're not the same staple food crop as corn.

just an FYI... America grows SO much corn, we had to invent Corn Syrup. and Corn Oil... And about everything you buy has CORN SYRUP in it. Corn is not a staple food to our society. It's a staple crop that makes all of us unhealthy.

I personally would love nothing more than for Ethanol to be the replacement. If I wanna eat an ear of corn I still can... But maybe then we could finally have a Naturally sweetened beverage (i.e. sodas)

I agree we should look into ALL of the bio fuels you listed... BUT I personally think we have more than enough corn to eat AND fuel our country.

just my $.02 on that!

Coven

coven,

That's quite a scenario you paint and I think we'll be seeing that much sooner than five years to be honest. This is not the only company/research lab working on improving solar technology.

There was a company a few years back that had been testing solar power embedded in paint so a whole house could be covered with tiny receptors. I think the efficiency was somewhere around 20%. With this new technology, a whole house wouldn't have to be covered, allowing for a lot less chemical waste etc etc.

I'd like to see power companies paying ME for my power, not the other way around...That's how it should be.

P.S. Where's all the pro-coal/oil company people? You guys usually show up right about now saying how bad of an idea being ecologically conscious is.

Come on, where ya at?

Nice find biggie!

While I am a supporter of safe nuclear power (where the French get 80% of their power), I think solar is ultimately the best route, if we can pull it off with the right investment.

Bush has been speaking for a few years now on how we need to get off foreign oil. It was also in his latest state of the union address. Hearing it from him is almost like a joke. What has he done except pandered to big oil?

Anyway. I hope they don't shoot this new technology down.

There are just 2 problems with this technology:
• It captures infrared light, meaning that the energy input isnt nowhere near as high as sunlight; ie. need to capture more to make the same energyoutput as sunlight based.
• The frequency at which the energy is captured at, is at this point the largest problem. Converting it to 50/60 Hz which we can use for anything, is well, quite a hurdle..

But hey, new technology is always welcome. I've always wondered why IR wasn't exploited more! And this is apparently a very cheap to produce technology..

[edit on 3/2/08 by Thain Esh Kelch]

great point Biggie. you caught me thinking "inside the box". I did think that a few countries that could use our excess corn have said that they didn't want it (due to pesticide uses and whatnot) I could be completely wrong... but didn't castro turn back a freighter of corn about 5-10 years ago?

The government will provide the red tape where needed.

For example, starting a cab company here in AZ is more difficult than almost any place.. Why? Because the state depends on DUI's for financial sustenance. Cab companies are checked regularly for illegal alien employees, driving records and BBB guidelines. No other business is so thoroughly harassed by the gov't. They even have made it a law that a police officer may infer how drunk a driver is no matter what their bac and prosecute them such. Its a stream of income for the state and the police force. They make a profit of it.

So if you're talking a large movement in solar (which, by the way, I completely agree with all of your posts), you're going to have to get through the red tape. Somehow, they'll find that solar panels cause cancer in homeowners and that more panel installers die by falling than the average construction worker (higher insurance?). Who knows, people are silly enough to believe claims that the "nanotech" can breach the confines of the cell and infect you with a NanoSTD.

My point: They will make a big deal out of anything they are not a part of. They own the oil industry at this point. That's why its even a factor. If the taxes are not high, and the profit margins for the interest groups aren't enough, there will be a mass-scale fight against it, and it might never be seen. They will quiet such news.

There IS a water-powered car. Its been running, I saw it. Why is the inventor dead and the patent owned by the military but has never been released??

So basically, is solar the most unavoidable success the energy industry has ever seen? If not, the MSM and our overlords will get involved and squelch it.

Please, I am being the devil's advocate. Offer arguments, it would make me hopeful.

[edit on 2/3/08 by SantaClaus]

If this thing actually works I am going to file it in the Titor got another one right column.