Now Shipping - Solar Panels, Destination - The Desert!
Imagine the vastness of the world's dry lands combined, and think of its every inch converting solar energy into electrical power. That would be a nirvana where fossil fuel is an obsolete past. Even if the crudest solar cells are the one deployed all over the world's sub-tropical deserts, computed to be 20.9838 trillion square meters, this huge area would be producing 2.5-trillion mega Watts of electricity if a single solar cell produces 1.2 watts per 0.01 square-meter, assuming the solar panel used has an energy conversion efficiency rate of 12%.
If we can only tap 1 percent of such a vast area, we have around 25-billion mega Watts of power source available during day time. The world's annual electrical power consumption is only 16,830,000,000 mega Watt hour as of 2005, meaning we will have a standby power of 8,242,560,000 mega Watts.
The only practical hindrance therefore is how to store that huge amount of power to be used at night time. If we have such a huge electrical power source, then all our transport systems can run on electricity - intercontinental trains, commuter trains, cars and elevators. There will be no greenhouse gas emissions, and then, we could succeed reversing climate change. We can even tap such gigantic energy source to convert salt water into fresh water that can be used to irrigate arid lands for agriculture.
This is not a utopia. In fact, American companies are beginning to plant solar panels in the deserts of Arizona, and they are making money from the electricity they are generating. And not only that, they will be receiving incentives for every kilo watt hour generated without the use of fossil fuel as provided by the International Convention on Climate Change. Come to think of it, it makes sense, does not it?
