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This is both a political problem and an energy sovereignty issue. You could turn Libya into solar Russia, but would you want to do that? My other concern is th
by ch4s3 5y ago
This is both a political problem and an energy sovereignty issue. You could turn Libya into solar Russia, but would you want to do that?
My other concern is that such a complex and interconnected system is likely to be fragile in unexpected ways.
And none of this addresses the land area required for base load solar.
- ephbit 5y ago> ... concern is that such a complex and interconnected system is likely to be fragile in unexpected ways. I second that. The robustness of the current global energy supply system based largely upon solid, liquid and gaseous fuels stems from its flexibility and inherent buffering capability and the fact that lots of the connections/links are loose/weak/interchangeable. (Supplier of fuel xy can be chosen relatively spontaneously, completely unlike some cable which invariably connects two fixed geographic locations.) An intercontinental electrical grid is in comparison dramatically less flexible. I'd call it grossly negligent to even attempt to implement a world spanning grid exceeding lets say 15 % of total power transmission.