Lemon/penny batteries could power the entire world, too. Here's the math:
One lemon/penny battery generates 0.0001 W. Thus, one kilowatt requires 10 megalemons. 10 megalemons produces 365 * 24 = 8760 kilowatt hours per year, or 876 KWH per megalemon per year.
The US consumes roughly 4 trillion KWH per year, which would require about 4.5 petalemon to power. Worldwide production last year was on the order of 6.5 gigalemons (13 megatonnes according to Wiki, 200g for the average lemon), so we have a bit to go, but this proves that a significant fraction of the US's electrical needs can be provided by lemon batteries currently. Minor implementation details such as maintenance of the lemon batteries, storage of them, operating lifetime, cost, and trivialities such as "Where do we find 4.5 petapennies?" can be hammered out at a later date.
(P.S. Less sarcastically, if you want to generate the world's electricity needs without being primarily reliant on fossil fuels, you have two options. The first is nuclear power. The second is dividing the world into permanent camps: those that have sufficient access to electricity to enjoy a standard of living comparable to America in the early 1900s, and those who do not. Group #2 will have to vastly outnumber Group #1.)
I agree that the best option availlable at the moment is nuclear energy.
But what about the thermic solar plants that are currently being built in the deserts of the US and Africa? Those with parabolic mirrors heating the pipes set at their focal point?
I'm having a hard time figuring out why /could/ hasn't been replaced with /am/. Apparently you can make the linked to wind generators for $100 so you're only looking at $200 total investment.
One lemon/penny battery generates 0.0001 W. Thus, one kilowatt requires 10 megalemons. 10 megalemons produces 365 * 24 = 8760 kilowatt hours per year, or 876 KWH per megalemon per year.
The US consumes roughly 4 trillion KWH per year, which would require about 4.5 petalemon to power. Worldwide production last year was on the order of 6.5 gigalemons (13 megatonnes according to Wiki, 200g for the average lemon), so we have a bit to go, but this proves that a significant fraction of the US's electrical needs can be provided by lemon batteries currently. Minor implementation details such as maintenance of the lemon batteries, storage of them, operating lifetime, cost, and trivialities such as "Where do we find 4.5 petapennies?" can be hammered out at a later date.
(P.S. Less sarcastically, if you want to generate the world's electricity needs without being primarily reliant on fossil fuels, you have two options. The first is nuclear power. The second is dividing the world into permanent camps: those that have sufficient access to electricity to enjoy a standard of living comparable to America in the early 1900s, and those who do not. Group #2 will have to vastly outnumber Group #1.)