Just intuition. Recalling things I learned on how solar panels are made and how it works... also its life span.. I think that the resource cost and energy in making solar powered transportation is > than it's potential benefits. I wouldn't invest on solar panels.
There are also obviously the inherent limitations of solar power, which would be counter- productive to the purpose for making solar powered transportation in the first place....
Adam Smith. The "invisible hand" would divert resources and energy to other things that would cut the real cause of this transportation- population problem. Maybe like decentralization of things? Decentralization of energy?
Computers and the Internet. Amazing inventions. They practically teleport people already. Before, it would take how many days for a person in point A to communicate/ exchange info or see a person in point B? With the internet, it's practically in real time.
So why would people travel from place to place when they could work, shop and etc from their own home? It's a reality now that people shop and work from the comforts of their own home.
I guess I foresee decentralization. Trade, trucks, shipments, ordered goods.
oh those are some great points. but i think those things will hold true in the short term only. In the long term it will all break down.
However, my reasoning is based on net energy or more specifically net energy per capita. We live in a finite planet with finite resources, population is growing so less resources/energy per person and this value is decreasing exponentially. We will reach the limits to growth sooner or later.
"Anyone who believes that exponential growth can go on forever in a finite world is either a madman or an economist." (Kenneth Boulding)
the image below explains it perfectly. the X axis has estimated numbers. But overall if somebody looks back say in 2500-3000 AD the following figure will hold true.
we keep hearing people talking about "economic growth", "gdp growth", "industrial growth" and how it's important for us. Basically they refer to the region 1900 - 2030 in the chart. The problem with growth is that the planet is finite. There will be a peak and a period of downward decline will follow. This is a mathematical certainty because there is a limit to growth in the finite planet. unfortunately, everything around us is based on growth (since the interest based economic system is such).
Now a lot of people upon hearing such gloomy scenario dismiss it completely without providing any reasons. Unfortunately, the scenario presented here is a certainty. It will happen, we just dont know when.
Moreover, there have been many powerful, prosperous civilizations in history; all peaked, all declined and their remains can be found in museums today. Im sure that egyptians, persians, romans, Chinese all thought they could keep it going but they all failed. I dont see any reason why industrial civilization will be any different.
For most civilizations in history, food was the limiting agent.
For our industrial civilization, oil is the limiting agent.
For any civilization, net energy is the limiting agent.
Note: food = energy for the body
off course humanity will survive but we will be dependent directly upon nature (as we have always been) instead of deluding ourselves with all this infrastructure around us that gives us a false sense of comfort and assurance that we are in control of our lives.
anybody interested in the above ideas should begin by watching the following video
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