We have a tendency to think that we have to have one single thing to replace oil. There is no silver bullet. But there are a lot of silver BBs. We can't replace oil with wind and solar, but we can do a lot better than 4%. (We're already adding 10% solar to our gasoline, so the 4% max figure quoted here is obviously already out of touch with reality.) Genetically modified algae farms can create huge amounts of oil. Really the only thing we need oil for are big trucks and airplanes. Everything else can be easily operated on other fuels. Some of the things we have to change are our own habits. For instance, instead of chasing the holy grail of a battery that will go 1000 miles and charge in 5 minutes, what if we treated existing battery technology like we do our propane tanks? You buy one with the grill, and then you either fill it up yourself or swap it for a filled one. We have 100 mile batteries now. I'd love to be able to plug it in every night after work, OR drive across the country on electric, and just stop every 100 miles to swap a battery. I gotta pee anyway LOL. Battery swapping stations are so much easier to build than gas stations, too. All you need is a swapping robot and electricity. No underground tanks, etc. So car manufacturers need to develop and agree on a standard battery, just like there are standard propane tanks. I think the battery swapping stations would spring up on their own. Heck I'd probably open one. Jim
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