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Solar panels still work in cloudy weather, though the efficiency is reduced. Transmission losses are huge over long distances, plus you would have the added pro
by iamnothere 11y ago
Solar panels still work in cloudy weather, though the efficiency is reduced. Transmission losses are huge over long distances, plus you would have the added problem of securing the panels and transmission lines against sabotage -- and the Sahara isn't exactly the most politically stable part of the world.
- PhantomGremlin 11y agoTransmission losses are huge over long distances I found this document from ABB, http://www02.abb.com/global/abbzh/abbzh250.nsf/0/2adcc78ab7f0f967c12574c00046478a/$file/HVDC+-+efficiency+and+reliability.pdf http://www02.abb.com/global/abbzh/abbzh250.nsf/0/2adcc78ab7f..., they know a thing or two about power transmission. They claim: A 2,000-km long HVDC line rated at 800 kilovolts loses about 5 percent of the electricity it carries to heat, while an equivalent AC line would lose twice that amount, or about 10 percent. I wouldn't call either of those losses "huge". There are of course additional losses in converters or transformers. Still, that's darn good, better than I would have guessed. plus you would have the added problem... Those are fair points, I think much more significant than the transmission losses.