How about sending Al Gore to the moon within ten years?

A distributed energy strategy that includes drilling and solar and
wind and geothermal and water and nuclear seems to be the way to go.

I dont see how using only solar, wind, geothermal, and water could be
bad... why do we need to drill?  If it can be done otherwise, there is
no logical reason as to why we should drill

We need to drill because the big, fat oil company said so.  It is
because we live in a country who are so stuck on depency with oil.  It
is because the oil sector control the government with money.  We as
American need to follow the rest of the world and lift our head up to
see what other are doing beside drilling.  This is one big soap box of
mine as well.

The issue, as it usually is, is money.  Fossil fuels are still cheaper
than other forms of energy.  Even in the long run after maintenance
and initial cost.  Even though I'm considered as in the top 5% as far
as wealth in the world I still can't afford renewable energy like
solar.  Do you think someone in the 50% or lower group could afford a
hybrid car, solar panels on thier roof, a wind turbine?  If we all had
huge disposable incomes like say, I don't know, a retired vice
president then it wouldn't be an issue.  The key is to develop CHEAP
renewable fuels.

Rich, Very well put. The ideals and desires and plans all come down to
affordability. BUT... I think in leu of awaiting for destiny to
arrive, we can certainly accelerate things. Just as in the past when
crisis moments have prompted paradigm shifts and large scale
interventions by government, this is one of those times. No, there is
no free lunch, we will ALL pay for it. Cheaper now than later.
Necessity is the mother of invention. I think a capitalist mentality
of survival does a lot to promote a better mouse trap, but at times
this does not suffice. With paralizing influences of large oil
companies, we need to even the playing field.
I find being active in stocks similar to voting. I bet my stake and
hopefully I am right. Solar and other non-fossile fuel sources of
energy will eventually become mainstream. The question is will oil
need to be at $500 a barrel or are we smarter than that. Hence, many
of these solar power companies that are felt to be overpriced and
momentum stocks will actually, one day be on the scale of Shell,
Mobile, Exan and the like. Which one? Well, they don't call it
speculation for nothing.

Let me put this in a way even you dreamy eyed liberals can understand.
The steller effort of the space program put approximately a dozen
people on the moon, couldn't keep them there, and cost billions and
billions of dollars. And as a result you, the citizen, cannot go to
the moon.

Surprise, the space program was about defeating the Soviets and
developing better weapons.

A better more coherant goal would be something similar to the National
Highway System. What we need are standards to unite this country's
power grid, so that independant developers of energy can distribute
their excess energy for sale to everyone else. As the sun sweeps
across the landscape East sells to West. Maybe even between countries
and continents. A free market system that only requires Washington to
put some rules down on paper and shake hands.

As regards to oil versus alternative energy. Even when every house has
a solar roof, solar driveway and hydrogen car, we need oil to make all
three.

I feel like if there is a prize put out there, people will develop the
technology necessary to be able to achieve the goal.

Look at space technology... a 10 million dollar prize was put out
there for the first company that could send their spacecraft into
outer space twice in a two-week period with the equivalent of three
people on board, with no more than ten percent of the non-fuel weight
of the spacecraft replaced between flights.  It only cost them $25
million dollars to develop the technology and to build the spacecraft.

The same thing is currently being done with fuel efficiency for cars
(see Aptera motors and the Automotive Xprize).

We cannot get away from oil but we can certainly try to lessen our
dependency on it and solar and wind power will soon be a good start to
being able to do that.

http://www.clusterstock.com/2008/7/first-solar-fslr-still-fine-but-sp...

Jim. Nice article, I really appreciate the info and all the input from
everyone... yes, even Donny. I actually agree with you and discussion
of our view points is far beyond the limits of this forum. I think we
both agree that a large scale united front must be adopted. Look at
Brazil. Granted it was a military dictatorship, but they had the
vision and unhindered ability to see and execute a national plan that
has made them energy-wise independant from the world. They are
positioned to be a power player in the future. They saw this coming. A
country we considered to be near third world. Yes we will need oil for
the foreseable future, but not at the magnitude that has brought our
ecomony to the perils were witnessing.
The true purpose of this forum is to understand the pulse of the
current market as it relates of solar power, with the exchange of
ideas look at other opportunitiesand and make reasonably good
judgement in our investments. In that respect, I thank everyone for
their beneficial inputs.

Waste not. Want not. We could forget about Gore and this would still
make sense.
We need to develop everything to the point that we understand the pros
and cons. I am not rich but I could, if I chose, mortgage( death -
grip) myself and put in a Honda FreeWatt, solar hot water panels, as
well as electricity panels on my suburban home. I have a home that
would make sense to do this. However, when I was doing this stuff for
a living in the 80s, people were doing it for a tax break. Wrong
attitude. Not "good," not "moral." ("The issue, as it usually is, is
money. ") If we develop all paths of technology to the point of
knowing which path leads to where, before going over the edge, we can
diversify and maximize the options which would be "good" for the
community. Wind makes sense, solar makes sense, water make sense, oil
makes sense, methane makes sense, thermal makes sense; they all make
sense in the right measure and application.
If I choose to mortgage, I choose to work for the rest of my life,
eating peanut butter, which has just recently gone up 20% at my
market, after three years of NO price increase, to give my kids a
break on the death-grip.
Your home is where you live and who you live with.