--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Surveying the available alternative…" description: "\"Surveying the available alternative energy sources for criteria such as energy density, environmental impacts, reliance on depleting raw materials, int..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29e/richard-heinberg-28724_alternative-energy_surveying-the-available-alternative-ener_1515493.jpg" --- # Surveying the available alternative energy sources for… ![“Surveying the available alternative energy sources for criteria such as energy density, environmental impacts, reliance on depleting raw materials, intermittency versus constancy of supply, and the percentage of energy returned on the energy invested in energy production, none currently appears…” quote by Richard Heinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29e/richard-heinberg-28724_alternative-energy_surveying-the-available-alternative-ener_1515493.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29e/richard-heinberg-28724_alternative-energy_surveying-the-available-alternative-ener_1515493.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29e/richard-heinberg-28724_alternative-energy_surveying-the-available-alternative-ener_1515493.jpg) > “Surveying the available alternative energy sources for criteria such as energy density, environmental impacts, reliance on depleting raw materials, intermittency versus constancy of supply, and the percentage of energy returned on the energy invested in energy production, none currently appears capable of perpetuating this kind of society.” [Richard Heinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-heinberg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. No current alternative energy meets all criteria for sustaining modern society without significant drawbacks. **In simple terms:** Alternative energies have major limits. Key Takeaway Seek balanced, realistic energy strategies. Themes energy environment sustainability technology policy Mood analytical concerned Type technical strategic When to use this quote - Policy planning - research funding - grid integration - public education - investment decisions Key Concepts Energy density resource depletion intermittency energy return on investment Questions to Reflect On - What innovations could overcome current limits? - How should societies prioritize energy trade‑offs? A Different Perspective Technological breakthroughs could change the assessment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alternative energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alternative-energy/) [Alternatives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alternatives/) [Available](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/available/) [Capable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capable/) [Climate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate/) [Constancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constancy/) [Criteria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criteria/) [Criteria Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criteria-energy-5588642/) [Density](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/density/) [Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy/) [Energy production](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy-production/) [Energy sources](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy-sources/) [Environmental](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environmental/) [Environmental impact](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environmental-impact/) [Impact](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impact/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Materials](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/materials/) [Oil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oil/) [Peak oil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peak-oil/) [Percentages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/percentages/) [Perpetuating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perpetuating/) [Productions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/productions/) [Raw material](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/raw-material/) [Raw materials](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/raw-materials/) [Reliance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reliance/) [Source](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/source/) [Versus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/versus/) ## Related quotes > [Ronald Reagan cut taxes to raise the deficit to stop liberals in future years from increasing spending. 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If economic activity must increase tenfold over what it is today…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-l-hart/although-population-and-consumption-are-societal-issues-technology-is/) [Stuart L. Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-l-hart/) > [The industrial processes in use today were developed at a time when no one had to consider what the environmental impact was. Who cared?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-industrial-processes-in-use-today-were-developed-at-a-time-when/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [But no matter how big the effort to push a propaganda line might be, climate change is bigger. 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But if we aim for genuinely worthwhile goals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-heinberg/if-we-aim-for-what-is-no-longer-possible-we-will-achieve-only/) [Richard Heinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-heinberg/) > [Today, it is especially difficult for most people to understand our perilous global energy situation precisely because it has never been more important to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-heinberg/today-it-is-especially-difficult-for-most-people-to-understand-our/) [Richard Heinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-heinberg/) > [The idea that we industrialized humans are immune to the natural laws that have restrained growth in other species-and humans in past social regimes-is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-heinberg/the-idea-that-we-industrialized-humans-are-immune-to-the-natural-laws/) [Richard Heinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-heinberg/) > [Early ecologists soon realised that, since humans are organisms, ecology should include the study of the relationship between humans and the rest of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-heinberg/early-ecologists-soon-realised-that-since-humans-are-organisms/) [Richard Heinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-heinberg/) > [As political theorist Michael Parenti points out, historians often overlook Fascism's economic agenda--the partnership between Big Capital and Big Government--in their analysis of its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-heinberg/as-political-theorist-michael-parenti-points-out-historians-often/) [Richard Heinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-heinberg/) > [Oil depletion and climate change will create an entirely new context in which political struggles will be played out. Within that context, it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-heinberg/oil-depletion-and-climate-change-will-create-an-entirely-new-context/) [Richard Heinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-heinberg/) > [We are about to enter a new era in which, each year, less net energy will be available to humankind, regardless of our efforts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-heinberg/we-are-about-to-enter-a-new-era-in-which-each-year-less-net-energy/) [Richard Heinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-heinberg/) > [The real problem is that we use too much oil. It's that simple and that difficult. 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But it harms corporate profits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/popular-support-for-alternative-energy-has-been-very-high-for-years/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [The fossil fuel industry has made advocating alternative energy sources a liberal/conservative thing, and an ideological battle, when it should really be about a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-densmore/the-fossil-fuel-industry-has-made-advocating-alternative-energy/) [John Densmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-densmore/) > [I've definitely seen that Texas is certainly a right-wing area politically. 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We are already being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-thompson/it-s-a-slow-process-but-it-is-scary-because-if-someone-can-control/) [Mike Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-thompson/) [Browse all 55 Alternative energy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alternative-energy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Surveying the available alternative energy sources for criteria such as energy density, environmental impacts, reliance on depleting raw materials, intermittency versus constancy of supply, and the percentage of energy returned on the energy invested in energy production, none currently appears capable of perpetuating this kind of society.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Richard Heinberg" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-heinberg/surveying-the-available-alternative-energy-sources-for-criteria-such/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Alternative energy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-heinberg/surveying-the-available-alternative-energy-sources-for-criteria-such/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29e/richard-heinberg-28724_alternative-energy_surveying-the-available-alternative-ener_1515493.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29e/richard-heinberg-28724_alternative-energy_surveying-the-available-alternative-ener_1515493.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29e/richard-heinberg-28724_alternative-energy_surveying-the-available-alternative-ener_1515493.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Surveying the available alternative energy sources for criteria such as energy density, environmental…” — Richard Heinberg", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Richard Heinberg", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-heinberg/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Surveying the available alternative energy sources...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-heinberg/surveying-the-available-alternative-energy-sources-for-criteria-such/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-heinberg/surveying-the-available-alternative-energy-sources-for-criteria-such/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```