The Problem with Renewable Energy is the Price

I haven't written about renewable energy in recent months for a very specific reason. The market for sources such as solar, wind, and biofuel has collapsed. There are two reasons. Both involve price. First, while crude oil is beginning to move upward, and natural gas prices have increased by about 57% over the past three months, both had fallen to unusually low levels. That means the primary ally of alternative sourcing - the acceleration in the price of hydrocarbons - has been absent. Of course, there are environmental, lifestyle, and social considerations that would benefit from renewable energy. Taken by themselves, however, these do not have more than a marginal impact on the energy balance.