Exactly, one of the big barriers to renewable energy now is that the sources of it, like areas with more wind or sunshine, are very far from the main consumers,

Exactly, one of the big barriers to renewable energy now is that the sources of it, like areas with more wind or sunshine, are very far from the main consumers, like large east coast cities in the US. On a global scale, with no transmission loss, Egypt could use the Sahara to export solar energy to Japan.