What is the best 'alternative' energy?

[Debatra]

I heard that there was this idea to put these pressure-based turbines under Times Square so that when people walked over it power would be generated. Something like that sounds pretty cool.

How about putting some of them under the subways? Sure, the construction would put them out of business for a while, but after that they'd be almost self-sustaining.

 

[Lukeje]

Cold fusion! [/sarcasm]

 

[Majithicus]

Well, I have great faith in a method currently in development, which harnests the energy which is generated when fresh water meets salt water.

How does it work? That sounds crazy (not to mention impossible).

 

[JWAN]

you could attach tidal generators to oil rigs and make a NG pipeline back to shore so you dont just end up burning it off.

 

[meatloaf231]

Cold fusion! [/sarcasm]

But it was so practical! How could it have not worked?

Anyways, I'd go with nuclear energy. It's safe, cheap, and clean.

 

[Shade Jackrabbit]

I heard that there was this idea to put these pressure-based turbines under Times Square so that when people walked over it power would be generated. Something like that sounds pretty cool.

How about putting some of them under the subways? Sure, the construction would put them out of business for a while, but after that they'd be almost self-sustaining.

Yeah, there's tons of places you could apply the technology. Of course, it IS fairly expensive, so that's the major block to doing it. But yeah, the long-term investment could be pretty helpful.

 

[Lonan]

I think the best alternative energy is human energy. If you call thoughts energy, I think we need to shift away from our reliance on scientists to give us different sources of energy to feed our gluttonous energy habits. Instead, we need to invest in self-disipline when it comes to using energy, in order to reduce the amount of smokestack pollution the millions produce while a few hundred scientists desperately try to invent less polluting technology to feed Western gluttony. Essentially, we are all fat. Instead of asking scientists to invent a fat loss pill for us, we need to exercise and have a better diet. If scientists (not "we") invent a nice non-polluting energy source, and people think that pollution is no longer a problem, they will not think at all about their consumption, and people will breed more and bring the Western population ever higher, resulting in more future consumption which will overload some earth cycle and we'll all die because no one had any discipline. Exageration, but still a valid point I think. We simply cannot live without discipline for much longer, or a massive extinction will take place.

 

[Majithicus]

I think the best alternative energy is human energy. If you call thoughts energy, I think we need to shift away from our reliance on scientists to give us different sources of energy to feed our gluttonous energy habits. Instead, we need to invest in self-disipline when it comes to using energy, in order to reduce the amount of smokestack pollution the millions produce while a few hundred scientists desperately try to invent less polluting technology to feed Western gluttony. Essentially, we are all fat. Instead of asking scientists to invent a fat loss pill for us, we need to exercise and have a better diet.

Says the person posting on online forums with his electro-guzzler roaring away under the desk. Nobody is going to stop using energy, our whole society is based upon it. You might as well just ask us to stop using money because it corrupts nice people.

 

[thenumberthirteen]

Fusion, if it were input/output effective, but as it is I have to say Geothermal. It can only be used in certain places, but where it works it is cheap, safe and efficient

The original fusion generator produced something like 1/3 of the energy of the input. Maybe not the most efficient in the world.

We're years off a commercially viable fusion generator, it's damn tricky to generate the conditions required an a large scale and economically.

I would go with Nuclear as long as you stick with it and find a good way to dispose of or re-use the waste it is probably your best bet. How safe is Nuclear power? How many people have actually died as a direct result of a meltdown or whatever? Is it like aeroplanes where they hardly ever crash, but when they do loads of people die.

 

[captain awesome 12]

How about a mixture of all the ideas, with Nuclear being the focus but supported by wind, solar, hydroelectricity, and in the future fusion energy? We could still use oil and natural gas, but cleaner burning and used mainly for jet transportation. As far as I know there is no way to power a large, passenger, airliner without using gasoline.

 

[JWAN]

How about a mixture of all the ideas, with Nuclear being the focus but supported by wind, solar, hydroelectricity, and in the future fusion energy? We could still use oil and natural gas, but cleaner burning and used mainly for jet transportation. As far as I know there is no way to power a large, passenger, airliner without using gasoline.

Alcohol, the same stuff they put in race cars on the 1/4 mile

hot
fast
and clean

 

[Lonan]

I think the best alternative energy is human energy. If you call thoughts energy, I think we need to shift away from our reliance on scientists to give us different sources of energy to feed our gluttonous energy habits. Instead, we need to invest in self-disipline when it comes to using energy, in order to reduce the amount of smokestack pollution the millions produce while a few hundred scientists desperately try to invent less polluting technology to feed Western gluttony. Essentially, we are all fat. Instead of asking scientists to invent a fat loss pill for us, we need to exercise and have a better diet.

Says the person posting on online forums with his electro-guzzler roaring away under the desk. Nobody is going to stop using energy, our whole society is based upon it. You might as well just ask us to stop using money because it corrupts nice people.

That's true but there's a difference between checking out the forums on the Escapist for an hour a week and playing World of Warcraft or videogames in general for eight hours a day. There's a huge difference.

 

[Debatra]

Put a few miles of solar panels in some place far North or South where there's six months of sunlight.

How about some windfarms in Chicago?

solar power is still generally inefficient, also not making any power at night so you need a way to store energy(also leads to energy loss)
Wind farms eh not bad but have you heard the noise they make? sounds like a low pressure whoosh constantly over and over, so they have to be kept away from people. also not a whole lot of energy for the space they take up.

I'm just gonna go with nuke power as best, or hydroelectric, at least untill will come up with a better way to harness sunlight.

There's a windfarm not far from where I live, and on the off chance there's enough wind for them to do anything but sit there, they're quiet. It would probably be different in the Windy City of all places, there's still the space issue.

How about Tornado Alley? [/semi-sarcasm]

 

[Wormthong]

ima go with nuclear because hydrogen is not commercialy effective as a power plant like energy source however for cars and the likes i think its the future.
and as soon as we are able to find some other source then nuclear we should use it because too much nuclear waste may be very harmfull(its just a posibility)

 

[captain awesome 12]

How about a mixture of all the ideas, with Nuclear being the focus but supported by wind, solar, hydroelectricity, and in the future fusion energy? We could still use oil and natural gas, but cleaner burning and used mainly for jet transportation. As far as I know there is no way to power a large, passenger, airliner without using gasoline.

Alcohol, the same stuff they put in race cars on the 1/4 mile

hot
fast
and clean

Doesn't it burn way too fast?

 

[Chaz D]

I prefer harnessing the energy created by the atmosphere as it tears itself apart.

It's considered by many scientists to be the most ironic source of energy.

 

[Xaryn Mar]

not something that is possible at the moment but here is my take: Lots and lots of solar panel-satelites in far orbit and some way of transferring energy down to Earth (they are working on methods to transfer electricity wireless), in this case microwave will likely be the method. It will take a few decades I think before this becomes a viable solution though and if we are lucky we will have fusion by then.

EDIT:

Like dumping on the moon. (I'm not joking.)

It would actually be cheaper and easier to just send it into the Sun which would also dodge the people who would complain that we polute the Moon.