Hydrocarbons rule because they are cheapest. That’s the challenge
They do in fact establish the competitive challenge. But "they are the cheapest" for fundamental reasons like convenience, accessibility, simplicity/// and political manipulations. There is a technological establishment that is built around them, but there is opportunity..... and in terms of abundance and potential convenience under a yet-to-be-developed technological establishment... they can be beat.
Rockefellers' Rules begin with "Limit Access", "Shut down Competition, whatever the cost", and "Use Theirs First". Actually a pretty smart plan. But Trump is rocking the Rockefeller boat, and that is why he is being "deplatformed" politically with such extreme urgency.
I think Russia actually has more oil/gas than we do, more than the middle east, which is why we keep the proverbial boot on them, obstructing development every way we can.... and we can because we control a lot of the expertise for development. and the capital markets.
I think geological estimates of Uranium, Thorium.....fissionable materials are publicly understated. The production of deuterium is regulated, licensed. But in terms of abundance in nature and accessibility, deuterium is off the scale of every other potential source of energy.
Cold fusion was politically squashed, but research has continued, and pilot plants are being built today. Just expect them to be heavily regulated, regulated out of economic use.