That’s essentially the question put forth by the Land Art Generator Initiative and then illustrated in “Total Surface Area Required to Fuel the World With Solar”. The map (pictured here) estimates that 496,805 square kilometers would be needed worldwide by the year 2030 to supply 678 quadrillion Btu, using solar panels alone and producing zero carbon emissions.
Their assumptions:
“According to the US Department of Energy (Energy Information Administration), the world consumption of energy in all of its forms (barrels of petroleum, cubic meters of natural gas, watts of hydro power, etc.) is projected to reach 678 quadrillion Btu (or 7.15 exajoules) by 2030 – a 44% increase over 2008 levels (levels for 1980 were 283 quadrillion Btu and we stand at around 500 quadrillion Btu today).
I wonder what surface area would be required and what type of infrastructural investment would be required to supply that amount of power by using only solar panels. To create fuel that can be used in vehicles and equipment I am assuming that some of the electricity generated would be used to create hydrogen. We should all start wondering about these things since we will have really no other choice by the turn of the next century.”
Interesting concept, based on dividing these arrays among 5,000 super-site installations around the world – equaling a land area roughly the size of Spain. Read more here.
