Alternatives Energy Sources are Beginning to Take Off
I have kept my eye on alternative energy innovations quite a bit. They really interest, and not just from a 'green' perspective. It's because energy is a big thing in the field of science. Energy, space, astronomy biology, and other forms of scientific investigation, innovation and invention are something I have always loved.
Some months ago just for grins, I was trying to figure out the cost comparisons between fossil fuels and some of the existing alternative energy sources like basic solar, wind and geothermal technologies. At that time, it seemed to me that the cost for all of these alternative energy solutions was still way out of line if they really wanted to make a difference in the overall energy landscape.
I remember thinking to myself, wow, these companies have some great technology, but they don't seem to be in touch with real life situations — at least not enough to realize what the rest of us were dealing with in this economy — and how these prices would affect all of us through costs in electricity, heating, travel, etc.
Not to mention that there didn't seem to be anything available for the individual homeowners to buy — at least reasonably — yet. Nor were there reasonably priced alternatives for small towns or counties. All these wonderful alternatives seemed only to be available — and priced for — big corporations with huge budgets (or very wealthy individuals). And it looked like even they were balking at the prices , particularly in this current economic situation.
Yes, I understand all about the R&D, I really do. And I was really getting worried it would still take years to pay for the R&D.
Although I have always felt strongly that nature must be cared for and polluters should be dealt with definitively and sharply in order to keep humans and nature healthy, I never thought of myself as — what some unkindly call — an environmentalist or treehugger. From a practical standpoint, if we want to survive, I see a lot of these things as being necessary in a modern world. However, we live in a world where many do not have enough to eat, and the economy in the USA and around the world is not really good. I see where if we tax companies, it will trickle down to the individual because companies will pass it on rather than let it hurt their bottom line or their stockholders.
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