On Friday, September 14, 2012 6:03:44 PM UTC-4, BAR wrote:

As I said the internal compustion automobile hasn't changed in 100
years.

I think the point is that while the basic operating principles of the internal combustion engine haven't changed, the efficiency and reliability of it has dramatically increased in those 100 years.

Solar energy hasn't been cost effective in the past, and is just starting to become an alternative now. If enough advances are made to its efficiency and reliability (longivity) in the next few years, it could become an attractive option. Same for electric cars, etc. Technology marches forward, just sometimes slower than we'd like.