As to why I'm so "into alternative and renewable energy", it has little to do with climate change, although I do wish to be prepared for either warming or cooling, not that I think my "carbon footprint" has anything to do with it. My motivations are manifold. I believe peak oil and the wars for remaining oil have the potential to cause severe supply disruptions in not only fuel but everything that depends on fuel. Our whole economy is based on a just-in-time delivery by truck model. We can't go five days without trucks moving goods before people start severely suffering from shortages of all kinds of necessities. Adding punitive energy taxes and carbon caps to the mix only makes this worse. We also have an aging electrical grid created by government mandate and subsidy which isn't being properly maintained because the costs of doing so exceed the revenue permitted by government price caps on electric utilities. We've now experienced several large regional blackouts which were a complete surprise to those who oversee the grid. This will get even worse as we continually increase our electricity demands on the back of government suppressed prices. We don't know how precious of a resource we have because of price fixing, so people over-use it. Then there's the threat of terrorism, storms, and economic conditions impacting the availability of fuel and grid power. On top of that, government is getting ever more intrusive with their warrantless spying. With the new agenda to get "smart grid" controls into every home, the infringement on your freedom and privacy goes far beyond the electric company deciding when you can or can't watch TV or wash your clothes or what temperature your thermostat should be set to.
Those are all clear and present threats which should encourage everyone to be better prepared and to buffer themselves from reliance on the grid and the on-demand economy. But the overarching threat that poses the most severe danger and is growing more likely (even inevitable) every day is the potential for a global currency collapse as central banks around the world have turned to printing money at ever-increasing rates to support their failed socialist models. The Federal Reserve last month publicly declared a policy to print $40 billion per month ad infinitum (and it will surely exceed that figure as inflation gets out of control). The ECB, BoE, BoJ, and others are on a similar course. History has shown that this inevitably will result in hyperinflation. But this time will be worse than any other in the past because it will occur in the reserve currency of the world and all major competitors for that title simultaneously. Historically, people in countries with hyperinflating currencies could just use a neighboring currency. In the 20th century, most hyperinflating countries turned to the U.S. Dollar as a stable alternative. But what is the alternative this time? Probably gold and silver, but a whole new economy of re-monetizing precious metals will have to develop before that gets widespread. In the meantime, we'll be dumped back into a barter and self-sufficiency economy which virtually nobody is prepared for. So you can expect major supply chains to shut down entirely. Electric will be spotty at best. Same with water. Food delivery will probably fall to government emergency measures. Heating fuel likewise. Most people will probably have to evacuate to FEMA camps in order to survive on government rations. And if the government response to Hurricane Katrina was any indication, the conditions there won't be enviable. Think this can't happen? Most people naturally believe that horrific things can't happen to them. But they do all the time, even to "good" people. My wife lived through hyperinflation in Poland in 1990-1992 and told me all about it. The government is currently preparing for a "mass casualty event". Do some research. It's scary, but it's scarier to be unprepared for it.
Beyond all that though, assuming that humanity manages to solve all of those issues without American consumers missing a single reality television show episode, it's about building a better life. It's about being independently wealthy without needing millions of dollars. Inflation is certainly going to get much worse no matter what, but even if it doesn't get totally out of hand (as in hyperinflation or even the late '70s levels), even 3-5% inflation can really strain your personal lifestyle if your income doesn't keep up with it. At 5% inflation, prices double in 14 years. Double. This is especially a problem for the elderly on fixed incomes, but also for those who just can't get a raise, or whose raises don't match inflation. Or for the unemployed, who may receive some assistance, but that also doesn't keep up with inflation. If your income doesn't double in 14 years to match 5% inflation, then your living standards must necessarily decrease as a result. And if you're already pinching pennies, that might mean that you lose your house and other cherished assets. So being off-the-grid and self-sufficient eliminates many of the threats related to inflation and all of the stress related to it. If your production is not denominated in Federal Reserve Notes, then the value of FRNs is immaterial to your well-being. Your solar panels don't produce FRNs, they produce electricity. Your woodlot doesn't produce FRNs, it produces BTUs of heat. Your garden doesn't produce FRNs, it produces nutritious food. So if your standards of living are maintained locally by your own capital assets, then inflation has no bearing on you. Supply and demand have no bearing on you. Income and sales taxes have no bearing on you. This gives you an amazing feeling of freedom and relief from the stresses of the rat race. You can work at will instead of paycheck to paycheck. You can take as much time off as you please and maybe even retire indefinitely if you like. In other words, it gives you real independence.
A side-effect from that is that my carbon footprint is almost zero, or maybe negative if you deduct the fossil fuels I would be using as an average American. I.e. I could sell carbon credits under such a trading scheme. If you naively believe in anthropogenic global warming, my lifestyle is very attractive to you. And that's fine. But don't try to sell me on it to save the planet. If you want to sell conservatives on alternative energy, sell them on the points I made above. Any one of them should be sufficient to pique their interest and any two will probably convince them to go in that direction.