Sustainable green energies will be taken up in mass when the cost per kilowatt is comparable to what we pay now for fossils ie coal.
I am all for green energies but it will be a few more years till there is a change in public perception. What would be more effective for the people and govt to tackle is to reduce energy costs ie more efficient appliances, hot water heaters, air conditioners, refrigerators are the biggest users of energy in your house. Just make more stringent and accurate standards, tax cuts for buyers or increases taxes on importation of inefficient equipement, put the pressure back onto the manufactures.
At the moment you can get a solar pv tied to the grid system or battery back up which will generate enough power if you get 6-8 hours of sunlight for an average home for approx $30-40k minus a govt rebate of $8k, the cost per kilowatt for the panels alone is $8 to $4, this will need to come down susbstantially to be competitive with coal. The current panels are only 15-20% efficient with the latest technology reaching 40% eff. in perfect light test conditions.
Hydro is the best bang for buck, most reliable and consistent but not everyone has access to a dam or river. The largest energy producing plants in the world are all hydro if the conditions are right.
What I am excited about once the cost comes down is plug in hybrid cars connected to a pv solar panel grid tied system putting energy back through credits whilst charging your car, we might even get paid to generate power if the govt changes the legislation, just a few more years away till it's ready for the consumer.
sorry nuclear is not going away more plants being built and more in plannning than ever before, once a plant is built it will be in use for over 50 years...
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