Earth receives 1 yr of solar energy every hourAll we have to do is tap into a tiny amount of the energy......a quote from Elon Musk
Capturing solar energy was never the problem.
Three factors have contributed to holding back the transition to solar:
1) The cost of capturing solar was too high. That has been resolved as the cost of the panels has dropped 94% in ten years. The cost dropped 14% alone in 2023 and is expected to drop by another 40% by 2025
2) Storage in the form of batteries was too expensive and there was limited access to raw materials. That has been resolved as well. Elon said publicly last year that all the world's energy needs can be fulfilled by tapping into only 20% of proven supplies. The price of battery components has dropped dramatically in the last two years and the cost is expect to continue to fall as mining and refining improve and volumes increase.
Supply and cost are no longer issues. In fact, a complete new dispatchable solar energy grid can be built for the cost to supply the earth with hydrocarbons for one year. After the solar grid has been built, energy will be free other than admin and transportation costs. A solar grid would not only supply free energy, it would provide energy security for everyone on earth.
3) This is the tricky one. Free energy is unacceptable to the oil industry and to exporting nations. As such, the huge con game continues to be played out in the media and it political arenas.
Science is easy. Politics are dirty and lobbyists are the worst of the worst.
Many complain about the political agenda to get rid of oil. Given the facts, isn't the real enemy the self-serving oil countries at a macro level and businesses at a micro level? Those entities want to keep the hydrocarbon gravy train running despite the overwhelming evidence that it is bad business.
I have been accused here of seeing the world from my own personal viewpoint. However, if you didn't own shares in SU and perhaps other oil companies, would you still look at oil through tar coloured glasses? I doubt it.
You will notice that I never talk about the climate change or the fact that diesel fumes have proven to be deadly. This is an investment forum, not a bleeding hearts forum. I'm interested in maximizing my financial returns and I would think everyone here should feel the same.
It is only a matter of time before oil gets replaced by solar energy. Not because of a political agenda but rather because of the math.
When I referred to the "brain dead" in my last post, I wasn't inferring that people were stupid although when I read some of the posts here, I have to wonder. I was stating the fact that people don't do their homework which makes them susceptible to self-serviing lobbyists who control the media and the politicians.
However, as nukester stated, people have the right to choose what they think is best for them even if their thinking process is incomplete. I post to share information and hopefully open eyes but some eyes refuse to open until it is too late.