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Back of envelope Math: According to linked calculation Solar PV needs 19 sq m per MWh per annum Per Wiki final total energy consumption is 7050 MTOE which tra
by newyankee 4y ago
Back of envelope Math:
According to linked calculation Solar PV needs 19 sq m per MWh per annum
Per Wiki final total energy consumption is 7050 MTOE which translates to 610 TWH
Multiple this by 10, 1.5 to account for energy losses,1.5 for capacity factor issues and 3.33 for growth in developing countries. Rounding up say the world needs 6000 per annum
Area needed = 6000 * 10^6 * 20/10^6 = 120000 sq km
Even in a densely populated country like India that is roughly 3% of the total land area
The challenge off course is installing it cheaply and balancing demand, supply, transmission etc.
- ncmncm 4y agoEven that massively overblows the real numbers, because there is no need to use that land only for solar.
- curtisf 4y agoFor reference, in 2010 the US was estimated to have 60,000 km² of road & parking lots https://persquaremile.com/2011/01/20/800-million-spaces-and-nowhere-to-park/ https://persquaremile.com/2011/01/20/800-million-spaces-and-... So we have experience building infrastructure of a similar scale, though probably not quite at the speed currently needed to meet carbon emissions targets solely by building photovoltaics. Of course, deserts, and not cities, are the best places to put solar power, especially since the shade generated can be useful for crops, and we have tons of desert in the US