Actually, I think there is an issue with man power as well with nuclear. As in if we were to build many at once.
Stationary power is really not a problem of today. Portable power is and oil is the alpha and omega of energy as far as being energy dense and portable at the same time. Dilapidated electrical grids and other mismanagement are a problem in the US and around the world. Which is why blackouts are becoming a more frequent problem around the world. Kind of puts a hitch in the plug in car scenario. Like I said, there was a report commissioned by the government that said what waiting last minute for a transition would be like. Which is brutal and we are there.
The liquid fuel problem, which is todays problem affects growth based economics. As we saw last year when oil spiked. It was pretty close to shutting off globalization with fuel and food riots around the world. The banking collapse saved us from other problems, world wide.
Printing won’t bring us excess energy or “growth” as we know it. I’m sure they will print unit the cows come home. However, it will get to a point where the world will not want to give us scarce oil for printed dollars.
The west just ran up a tremendous amounts of debt and still has massive banking problems. Fixing these things is predicated on expecting and needing enormous amounts of growth in the future. Which is not going to come because you can’t increase economic activity with out energy growth.
How this plays out? Well, I’m kind of curious myself. It’s a much different dynamic that that world has ever been in.
Our problems are not technological or know how based. Though, there are some thermodynamic limitations that we would like to skirt but can’t in energy needs. They are cultural and structural. Lots of things we could do, but we seem to be running the ship into the ground while ignoring warnings. Kind of like they did with the banking system.
