The problem is the cost is high, so only the established players get the oil.
We do have a supply and demand problem. The supply is controlled by a few very large company's. Free enterprise is not working, the few are controlling the worlds supply of energy. They control the laws and the supply and demand equation. This is not free enterprise.

They will keep raising the prices until something is done.

Solar cells have been reported in short supply.
The worlds semiconductor plants can easily handle the need. Most are not setup to produce solar cells. As the price raises they will become more interested. Today they see the shortage as short term, if it continues they respond. Will take about a year.

A book written a couple years ago uses the term Alchemy to represent Technology.
This is what your doing on this board. You all are alchemists.
When the cost of doing something is too great, the alchemists step in and find new lower cost ways to do something.

My Mother visited Alaska. One place she was at had just spent tons of money building some tourist area right at a glacer a few years ago so people could look out the window and get a good view, now it has receeded so far you can hardly see it she said. WHY?

 Recently I just read something about an iceburg the size of a city breaking off, WHY??

Ok think about what is causing that? Is it really global warming as stated by those in control?? Or is is a naturaul occurance that is getting worse with time?
 Didn't the Titanic sink by hitting an Iceburg? How much global warming had people and industry caused by then?? How long have iceburgs been floating around before that??
 Ok something must have been going on at that time also, ice does not just melt and break apart when kept frozen right! So we had an Ice age that created Ice and that is over, now it is melting! Redundant Cycle?? What was here before the ICE? Water??

 The world can survive without oil! How long has it actually been used in massive amounts? 90 maybe 100 years? People survived how long before that??

So what if we have to change our lifestyle a little, aren't we doing that somewhat now by building wind gennies and small hydros ourselfs to charge batteries and run inverters, and aren't we trying to conserve the energy we make for ourselfs, I would call that a bit of change in life style compared to the norm of others. So eventually there will be no oil or other feuls, 200 years? So what?? We will be prepared happily now and dead by then, our kids, grandkids, great grandkids, can look to see what we have done and do it themselfs or move back into the caves where we all started out to begin with.

And actually, what is so bad about caves? I have been in several that I would actaully prefer over modern housing myself!! Cool in the summer, warm in winter, nice and roomy, no worries about tornado ripping it apart or fire burning it down. Gee how much "PROGRESS" we made by building stick houses and burning feuls to heat and cool them :(

Those who have 9 successefull highly paid collage graduated kids do not consider themselfs to be part of the over population problem that they grip about. But hey what causes over population?? Have more children than people producing them! So ok, 2 adults have 2 children, it equals out. 2 people having 9 kids over populates! Does not matter if they are all bums and criminals or doctors and lawers, it's still 7 extra people in the population count as a whole!
 Of course add to that things like people have the kids at a young age and live to be 70 or more. Some families have 4 and 5 generations living at once today and if each kid has only 4 kids thats 2, 8, 32, 128, 512 people by the time the first 2 parents actaully die.
I know a family almost that large personally!! And these people are complaining about the world problems and over population???? I just grit my teeth and don't bother telling them it's people like them that are causing the problem they complain about.
 These are friends and I don't care, but it's the facts!

Energy supply is not the problem, people are the problem!
 When people learn to take care of their own needs instead of expecting some-one else to take care of them then the world will start getting better. It started falling apart when the people started expecting the governments to do everything for them!

.
nothing to lose

your last comment:

. It started falling apart when the people started expecting the governments to do everything for them!

is a very significant point.  To keep things falling apart and to keep gov doing everything for you continue to vote liberal.

I am not frightened by the future.
I live for change.
   Change is what I am. (Why I'm here)
      I have learned most people are frightened by change. (Why so few here).
Change hopefully is good, but often not. We need the wisdom of the past to learn not to repeat bad things from the past. Most of our leaders are young, not learned of the past. They have the passion for change, but not the skills. Older people have learned the dangers of change; the people, so resist it. Middle road is needed but rarely achieved.

JeroenH – yes, I will look my kids in the eye in 30 years and say I said...

“nothing to lose“ – Love your post, up to the end. Over population.

People are the problem. But Not over population. I will prove it.
Man occupies little of the area of the earth.
Have you seen the photo from orbit, People were asked to turn on outside lights in support of earth day (or something). The earth is mostly dark.
People that live in cities think the population is high. Drive out of town and take a look around. Or fly from CA to NY, and see how little is settled.

10 times the current population is no problem, take a look at China.
The land mass is large but they have almost half the earths population.
I have no desire to go live in china, but even with the low tech they have, the population density dwarfs anything outside. Apply some technology, what do you think we could achieve? Assuming this was a desired goal, 10x not a problem.

Besides change, people do Not like to think. This is our biggest problem.
We live in a society with many illusions.
Creditable People will say something, like a collage professor.  
People are good, they will hear something from an authority and believe it and act. They will never question it. Is it true? What possible spin does this person have, why would they say... They assume the authority is just as good as they and trust.