I know we have a lot of alternative energy skeptics in here, but the reality is that point-source energy production using a wide array of energy technologies will be the way of the future. Large scale wind and solar operations are technological nightmares and cost-wise gigantic monstrosities, but wide-spread adoption of small scale usage by individual homeowners has gigantic potential. Also, methane re-uptake technologies for commercial farming operations and water treatment facilities are also likely to become significant contributors to our future energy basket.
What is one alternative energy technology that you would take a serious interest in if it were more cost effective. Also, if you invested in some kind of alternative energy technology, how long of a payback period (recouping of costs through savings on utility bills) do you consider to be reasonable? For the sake of this question let’s assume the unit you purchase will have a 30 year useful lifespan and your total return on investment would be 30/x, where x is your payback period, suggesting an average payback period of six years would imply a 500% total return on investment.
