TED Conversations

Cameron Baker

This conversation is closed. Start a new conversation
or join one »

What will be the best renewable source of energy in 2050?

As of now, we have Wind, Water, Solar, Geothermal, and many more. But as our technology changes and diversifies, do you think we will use completely different sources?

+7
Share:

Showing single comment thread. View the full conversation.

  • Andrew Hu

    • 0
    Jul 28 2012: Nuclear energy
    • thumb

      Lindsay Newland Bowker 50+

      • 0
      Jul 29 2012: cold fusion though
      • thumb

        Jared Kirschner

        • 0
        Jul 30 2012: I'm posing this question to both Andrew and Lindsay: justification? If your intent is to persuade, inform, discuss, or debate, you shouldn't just state your answer.
        • thumb

          Lindsay Newland Bowker 50+

          • +1
          Jul 30 2012: Hi Jared..Nice to meet you..Actually my intent is never or debate or persuade but to explore in a collaboratively co-intelligent way.

          Dropping a short answer to a question might sometimes be a way to open such an exploration.

          I am very relieved that national and global energy policy seems to be recognizing the need to dramatically reduce our carbon foot print. I am somewhat relieved that consensus is growing in national and global energy policy that our focus should be on transition to 100% renewable energy. sources.

          I have watched what has happened here in Maine ( and in Europe) with wind power in horror as I see the plutonomy gobbling up huge subsidies, stripping mountains, bare, emptying the forest of living things, causing fires tha cannot be extinguished and then just left there in the landscape when their very short useful life expires and so far not returning anywhere close to promised benefits or efficiency.

          So to me , as we make make a global commitment to transition to renewable energy the first and most important question isn't which energy should we invest in, but what should our energy policy be?

          Aside from carbon foot print, what else matters?

          Affordability?

          Uniform Access?

          What about distribution? Do we just want to repeat the mistakes we made with telephone and electricity and allow monopolies to evolve that control technology and distribution?

          What about utilization levels and efficiency?

          What about local household, business or community specific independent off any grid co-generation ?

          What about time lines? Fellow Tedster Adriaan Kamp, head of Energy for One World says we have only about 15 years to make this transition. Where can we invest as a global community, including all communities and all nations, all people
          to accomplish this transition?

          IIf we don't begin with the right questions, we will not form the right policy or pursue the right mix of renewable energy strategies.

          The clock is ticking.

Showing single comment thread. View the full conversation.