... but now that we've actually done the experiment at very large scales it's clearly a dead end, possibly for civilization itself.
The comparison to religion is apt. When people have been taught their entire lives that renewable energy will save the world they dismiss all the evidence that it cannot and may get angry at the people who are actually doing the math.
Evolutionary biology is one of my personal interests and I have some formal training. It was the focus of my undergraduate studies. I've done the math, I've done the field work, I keep current with the science. Sometimes I have some crazy ideas about the topic but I'm well aware of my shortcomings. It doesn't hurt me to have these ideas disproved. I learn something new.
In my experience arguing with the "true believers" of renewable energy is much like arguing with Evangelical Christian Creationists. Their faith is unwavering. Some of them may be opportunists, much like the television and megachurch pastors, but I think most have simply embraced the idea that there's some renewable energy utopia just over the horizon.
Well, here we are over the horizon. Vast areas are covered with solar panels and giant wind turbines. Batteries and solid state power handling systems that would astonish any time traveler from the 'seventies distribute the energy these systems harvest.
Alas, the numbers are in and it's not enough. Renewable energy will not displace fossil fuels. Renewable energy will not save the world, nor will it significantly delay some of the horrors to come.
One can direct renewable energy evangelists to sites compiling real world performance data, even walk them through the math, but it changes nothing. They remain ever hopeful. Frankly I think it's just an alternative sort of climate change denial.
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