Energy Slaves illustrated

[Chernosoth]

https://www.stuartmcmillen.com/comic/energy-slaves/#page-1

When we offloaded our burdens to fossil fuel energy slaves, we shackled one end of the chain to our slaves . . . and the other to our own necks.

 

[TastySuckToy]

Peak Oil will be a non issue in the future; I used to be a big worrier about it a lot of years ago, especially regarding how exponentional growth of consumption of finite resources works.

However, we'll be able to meet demand of oil based products with artificially created oil when the gas guzzling vehicle fleet and infrastructure is replaced with electric, which will happen a lot faster than a lot of people think.

Solar power potential (along with wind, which is really just another form of solar power) provides many orders of magnitude more energy than the world consumes and that industry is growing exponentionally. Solar has long surpassed EROEI, is already the cheapest form of energy, and energy storage systems (like large scale liquid metal batteries and many others) are rapidly being deployed.

On top of that, studies (for example in the USA) show that even ignoring energy storage solutions, 90-99% of electrical demand can be met by solar and wind across smart grid implementation, since the sun and wind are always shining/blowing somewhere. This is because a lot of utility companies can easily and are deploying 3-4 times the needed capacity because of how cheap solar is. As well as the decentralized and scalability nature of solar power means power generation can be large scale power plants, small local plants, neighbourhood projects or individual homes.

Research and deployment of solar, wind and energy storage products is proceeding at a fantastic pace, the often unseen postive side of exponentional growth. Photovoltaic technologies are being developed and implemented everywhere: roofs, walls, windowss, even roads and things like photovoltaic paints where you can paint surfaces and generate energy.

Incredible speed of developments in materials science, 3D printing/manufacturing, biotech, Artificial Intelligence all are contributing to solving our energy needs.

As a civilization, we'll always be faced with and tackling problems. For those really paying attention, energy is one we won't have much longer.

 

[BrightShinyGirl]

We can’t return to an entirely rural lifestyle without killing off most of humanity, but we can stop building cities around private cars. High-density cities where most of their residents get around by walking, biking, or riding electric trains are much more efficient and green than what we have now.

 

[Fuzzy1975]

High-density cities where most of their residents get around by walking, biking, or riding electric trains are much more efficient and green than what we have now.

I got to thinking about the above.
Where I grew up many years ago. An area encompassing 4 miles by 2 miles, where most homes had only one car, some had none ( you really didn't need a car) There were around 20 mom and pop corner stores scattered through out the community.

One larger grocery store, and two smaller ones. Two bars, one hotel, two automobile garages that sold gas. A pet store, two or three barbershops, a large hairdressers, a laundromat, two public schools. There was a plumbing shop and an electrical one too, both small family run types, but for a problem a quick phone call got them to your home.

There was also a large well stocked hardware store (where I bought my first firearm, figured I give some meat in this post to the gun nuts) and a bank. A few restaurants ( three for sure) and I'm sure I'm forgetting some others. A public bus ran through the area on a very regular basis (15 min in the day, 30 min at night. Starting at 6 am, ending at 11 pm.

Today, there are no corner stores, one small grocer, one auto garage, and one gas station. There is still one bar, and the bus route, every 40 mins from 6 am till 11 pm and that is about all that is left. A car is now an necessity for life, in what was once an area no one really had to leave except for employment elsewhere in the city.

 

[Bray123]

The place where I grew up used to have a bus into town every 30 minutes. Town had a main street with shops on both sides; grocers, greengrocers, fish shop, pharmacists, card shops, everything. Now there are only charity shops and phone stores.

But there are a couple of huge supermarkets out of town, with free car parking and no bus services.