1) You actually can, as high voltage DC transmission lines have shown in China (and some places in the US), where you can transmit for literally thousands of ki

1) You actually can, as high voltage DC transmission lines have shown in China (and some places in the US), where you can transmit for literally thousands of kilometers. Transmission is a political problem, not a technical one. Which doesn't make it easier to solve (it's harder to solve political problems, as a rule), but your sort of argument contributes to making it harder politically, a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy. 2) Making it near consumers makes little difference to overall land-use. Yes, you can make more solar power from the same area in desert than in more temperate climates, but you're still talking a very small amount of land.