The question that will never be considered:
Would we be better off using the electricity directly in electric vehicles or heating the ground to extract fossil fuel?
I don't know the answer, I haven't seen the numbers, but one has to wonder if it's really worth it, especially considering it will be burned, adding it's CO2 and other toxins to the air at some point. I'm sure it will make sense economically, especially if the price of crude stays high, but in terms of energy balance, I don't know... that's hard to imagine it being positive when you need to heat so much just to get it out, nevermind refining it.
