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This is the right answer for now. But because of today's politically correct, disconnected from science, over-reaching regulations, the cost to build the plants would be so high that electricity would be 5X more expensive. So we would still suffer huge economic hardship anyway.
That we could switch over without causing any major economic hardship and still meet our energy demands?
i am not an AGW believer, but there are plenty of fuels, or rather fuel bases that we can take advantage of. biodiesel for instance can be made from a number of sources, including waste plastics, rapeseed, palm oil, etc. and these just scratch the surface.
to replace gasoline, we can use sugar based ethanol. brazil goes through lots of it each year. and yes there would need to be a few changes to allow this, but then most ICE engines fuels would need similar changes.
algae based fuels can also be used. methane gas is also a decent alternative fuel, since we make it all the time(think sewage treatment plants), but it gets burned off as a waste product.
Fission is not economically feasible. In fact capital, as in"cost" to build, is the single biggest obstacle at this time... then social components. Why you ask? Well compared to NG, it is. Construction on new nukes has ceased, constant cost overruns. However if fission was gonna be part of the "mix", it would need supports like wind is receiving right now. Demolish an old plant (oil or coal) then a NG plant can be built on existing power plant sites. Permits are easy, regulatory issues too, on existing sites.
Solar right now can be "constructed" at around $.04 kwh. Delivery is a different set of problems. Large tracts of land is necessary, so only rural (non agricultural areas) can be utilized and then you must connect to the system, so transmission infrastructure is also necessary. utility work is expensive.
It's absurd to believe we can switch power supply by wishing and feeling. A 50-75 year plan might work.
The future is fusion... and we're not close. Let the utility industry provide the power and allow the taxpayer dollars to support research, regarding fusion.
If we could harness the power of radical right's rage, we’d be set for a lifetime.
Fixed your statement
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