Could We Power All Of Us With Solar Panels

Now if we cover an area of the earth 335 kilometers by 335 kilometers with solar panels even with moderate efficiencies achievable easily today it will provide more than 17 4 tw power.

Could we power all of us with solar panels.

Solar energy deployment increased at a record pace in the united states and throughout the world in 2008 according to industry reports. Solar energy capacity increased by 17 in 2007 reaching the total equivalent of 8 775 megawatts mw. You only need about 100 miles by 100 miles of solar panels to. If you wanted to power the entire united states with solar panels it would take a fairly small corner of nevada or texas or utah.

This number does look intimidating but with a large number of solar companies in u s. The seia report tallies all types of solar energy and. Assuming this power rating we would need to divide 2 75 tw by 350w which gives us the gigantic number of 7 85 billion 7 857 142 857 to be precise panels required. After all we don t have dual suns that permit us to soak up solar energy 24 hours a day and there will be inevitable interruptions in power relay due to maintenance or any number of incidents.

Concentrating solar thermal power csp is the other method for. You only need about 100 miles by 100 miles of solar panels to power the entire united states. Pv panels on just 0 6 of the nation s total land area could supply enough electricity to power the entire united states. The batteries you need to store the energy to make sure you have 24 7 power is 1 mile by 1 mile.

We all know solar panels work well during the day when. Solar s abundance and potential throughout the united states is staggering. The solar energy industries association s 2008 u s. How much energy does a solar panel produce.

If you wanted to power the entire u s. For the sake of example if you are getting 5 hours of direct sunlight per day in a sunny state like california you can calculate your solar panel output this way. Solar industry year in review found that u s. With tax incentives and efficient coordination with energy companies solar electricity can often pay for itself in five.

It can be turned into reality. 5 hours x 290 watts an example wattage of a premium solar panel 1 450 watts hours or roughly 1 5 kilowatt hours kwh. Japan germany and the united states are major markets for solar cells. With solar panels it would take a fairly small corner of nevada or texas or utah.