update on alternative energy

solar energy is poised to be one of the least expensive forms of energy within ten years. from USA Today article:

A few dozen companies say advances in technology will let them halve the price of solar-panel installations in as little as three years. By 2014, solar-system prices will be competitive with conventional electricity when energy savings are figured in, Deutsche Bank (DB) says. And that's without government incentives.

there's also a New Scientist article on methane gas collection, which is currently plagued with technological issues concerning how to extract methane from below the sea floor without causing sea floor land slides, and containing the slippery methane gas during transport up to land. methane gas burns cleaner than any other fossil fuel, the problem is that it is mainly contained below the sea floor. one idea is to pump carbon dioxide into the methane pockets which will help stabilize the methane for easier extraction.

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