The real something for nothing

[vulcanlogician]

But nuclear fusion has far more potential to provide clean energy if we can ever get it past the vapor ware stage.

Probably not what you wanted to focus on in your thread, but if we can get fusion to work-- that's it. Our energy problems are solved for at least dozens of generations. It might even be solved indefinitely provided we keep an eye on the global population.

But fusion itself is a big "if"...