Batteries can't be an alternative because:
1) They need fossil fuels and finite minerals/metals to be manufactured and transported
2) The EROEI is way less
The earth had plenty of room and resources before we "decided" (we didn't, we're humans, like yeast we try to consume everything in our path until the overshoot is apparent and we collapse) that 7-9 billion people and American 1000 gallon a year per capita lifestyles were viable. Haha, what folly.
Elon Musk is working on that. He also owns Solar City and Tesla Motors.
>growth
Colonizing space can solve that. Plenty more room and resources.
>senseless notion we will ever get off this rock
It's looking less and less senseless every day, in part due to Musk and his team.