Liberals: As an engineering student, I can tell you green energy has a long way to go. What do you think?

I say, let's get to work! This is America, and the next revolution of energy is going to come from us!

They don't care. I know - I used to be one of them.

We've got a long way to go? We should give up right now. Loving that conservative attitude.

I agree but i also believe it has come a long way too. Solar power used to be $50 a watt in the 1970s and right now it's approaching $1 a watt on average. We could have made it to $1 a watt faster if the government would have supported x-prize competitions instead of the DOE picking winners and losers. BTW, you can't pull and 18 wheeler on electrons. You would need giant heavy expensive super capacitors to provide that kind of torque. A company called Saphirre Energy has a strain of algae that can produce green crude oil which is chemically identical to traditional crude oil pumped out of the ground. You can make jet fuel, gasoline, diesel, tar for our roads, plastics, and everything else with it. That's the future of alternative energy because algae green crude oil is compatible with our current capital infrastructure.

No energy source has been successful without government assistance for research and development. The oil companies are pretty much beyond the R&D phase, are making record profits in the billions, and don't need subsidies. The alternate energies do need assistance for R&D and production and they need it now. The "let's wait" attitude has been a failure. If the country had gone with Carter's suggestion of renewable energy resources, we'd be in far better shape than we are today. I continue to be confused by the "let's get away from imported oil" crowd doing everything they can to stop the ability for us to be energy independent for longer than the next 50 years or so.

I would (with power un possessed at present exc for my vote) allow drilling & breaking up shale for oil drilling on public lands, for gas,carefully,cleanly, build nuclear power plants,as france,sweden,china do,build them carefully,operate them safely,with the condition that they make good faith effort in green/er energy research maybe getting help & input from universities to harness,if possible,solar,wind,ocean current driven turbines turbines,geo thermal heat efficiently we need them all,and the jobs they would produce.

it's true that green energy isn't there yet, but it's never going to progress in the private sector without help. too risky, too long-term. but it's the ultimate investment in the future. if we really perfect solar or build a thermonuclear power plant, even if it takes decades, all our energy problems will be over.

I agree with much of what you've said, but I did just want to say....when you favor putting off green energy because we've "got a long way to go," isn't that a bit like the Wright Brothers and those who were influenced by them saying, "Well, this flying thing seems pretty awesome, but we've got a long way to go before we can transport 300 people across the Atlantic Ocean in one of these, so let's just stick with a horse and buggy...." You know? Shouldn't we just keep pushing the envelope? Isn't that how innovation and discovery occur? Great question, you had a lot of interesting observations.

I disagree slightly. Algae oil is up and running. It does need federal funding to go national, but it's working quite well on a small scale. As you likely know, algae oil can be used in our current vehicles without modification, and is carbon neutral. Moreover, it is far cheaper and far less damaging to our environment. But the real issue is jobs and sustainability. Not only would many jobs be created through the use of algae oil, it would revitalize our farming communities and we could sell our oil overseas. Algae oil is currently being used on local scales in personal vehicles and even in UPS jetliners. Yes, it would require federal funding.....1/4 of what we put into oil subsidies each year. Because of all of the clear benefits of getting off the Saudi Teet and producing our own energy, I think the small cost is more than worth it.