Question of the Month: Which of the following do you think is the biggest barrier to moving to use more renewable energy sources?

In fact - another thing that burns my britches, I have sensor controlled outdoor light fixtures that require incandescent bulbs. LED bulbs wont work in them. Government outlawed incandescent bulbs but sellers are still selling their incandescent lamp inventory. I've replaced the cheap fixtures, but the big brass porch lights are getting by on whats left of any incandescent laying around the house.  One has a powder room bulb in it.   :-) 

There was another patent case in relation to automotive NiMH batteries that prevented their use in EVs

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patent_encumbrance_of_large_automotive_NiMH_batteries

That’s crazy but in some ways not surprising.  A short election cycle coupled with decade-long plus projects means no politician has any incentive.

As we start to see more and more of these type of USB power sockets around the place, maybe the question is... why are these sockets only 5V DC. Could we get more use-cases for 12V and maybe 24V for homes and offices, especially if every building had a renewable energy source and a big old battery. One feeds of the other, so to speak. Then I suppose, the other question, if this renewable energy source plus battery is working well then I wonder... would we still need AC power sockets in every room in the home or in the business.

People don't actually want it (yet). The cost argument is not compelling. The performance argument is not compelling. The environmental impact is not yet overwhelming.

It requires a lot more inconvenience for users to implement right now.

Every large infrastructure project requires vision, heavy investment, and someone who can sell the people on supporting the investment.

The main thing lacking is politicians with vision and conviction who are willing to put their careers on the line to pitch it to the people.

Conventional energy producers certainly aren't backing politicians in this fight to eliminate their livelihood. They are more likely to back opponents of the movement.

Behavioral economics is the science of why people make certain choices; not all branches of economics presume rationality :-)

Well said.

cost of the cabling - lower voltage means higher currents -> higher diameter conductors are needed to keep the same voltage drop (percentage) across the installation. There is the saying that  there are DC powered server rooms somewhere (and maybe telecom switches were powered from 48V) but this involves very high diameter power lines to keep voltage drops in acceptable levels. It is the same as in PoE (power over ethernet) when voltage is (IIRC) 48V to keep energy waste in line.

Yes, scalability would be an issue in some larger buildings like apartment blocks. For homes though, I like the idea of having a 48V PoE as a backbone. It may not be perfect but it could be a workable solution. This will make setting up connected (smart home) devices so much easier for the not-so-smart end user.

Maybe Single Pair Ethernet (SPE) with POE (not sure if this is actually viable) could also lower cost of cabling.

Probably another issue is that no matter how efficient and lower-cost renewable energy becomes, if energy usage always rises, then it's hard for the technology improvements and supplies to keep up, meaning that traditional energy sources continue to be needed, too.
The UK has an intriguing solution to this: let manufacturing decline. It might destroy jobs and push costs up, but it will reduce energy usage to an extent! : )

Also, governments' easiest tools to make people introduce changes to reduce energy waste or to use other energy sources is sadly allowing prices to rise massively. Of all electricity generation, a tiny figure is useful. The rest is wasted in creating and distributing it. But, even if continual improvements are made, it will only delay the point at which more capability is required. So consumption (and waste at the consumption end, whether industrial or residential or otherwise) is super important, too.