Quote:
Originally Posted by forfismum
And all other technologies will just stay as is?
|
Of course not. Other technologies will obviously improve over time. The problem is, those other energy technologies that use fossil fuels, are projected to increase in terms of delivery price per kWh over time, regardless of their technical improvements. On the other hand, renewable energy of varying forms, is on the whole expected to fall in terms of delivery price per kWh over time as its technology improves and fossil fuel prices are squeezed further.
Also fossil fuel power generation will also be squeezed by carbon tariffs before very long. This will put more demand pressure on all other energy resources, but other even clean fossil fuel based resources will have to serve a greater demand as coal based power generation becomes less competitive and clean coal more expensive. This could also squeeze renewable energy prices up, but they will likely be least effected out of all, because their fuel is not limited in the same way that fossil fuels are. i.e once the plant has been built, there is no fuel cost.
The problem fossil fuels have is their finality or at least in a more pragmatic sense, limited supply at a given cost, in the face of growing demand for a resource that is far more finite than renewable energy. The world is at a point historically, where the curves for cost between the two energy types are converging. Fossil fuel prices have already risen and are expected to rise further. As oil rises in price, so will other fossil fuels as they then also become more sought after as a substitute to replace dependency on oil. They are also driven up in price by the global trading.
This is fairly much common knowledge, but there might be others interested in this perspective. Its happening as we speak day by day, so we may as well be as prepared as we can be, which means we need to aggressively evolve the renewable energy base to help take up this increasing demand, wherever it can and save our fossil fuels for when we really need them the most. I have always maintained though that we can't rely on any single energy resource into the future.