Ever wonder how much space we would need to use to power the entire world with solar energy or offshore wind power? So did the good people at the Land Art Generator, who created two infographics that show the amount of surface area required to power our planet with renewable resources.
According to Land Art Generator, 496,905 square kilometers are needed to power the world with solar energy. That's less than the surface area of Spain. And just a piece of the Sahara Desert could power all of Europe and North Africa.
Wind power is a bit more complicated. 5.85 million square kilometers have to be dedicated to offshore wind to power the world. But while solar might be the wisest choice in terms of area required, wind could act as a strategic back-up for places with minimal sunshine.
Even though solar has the potential to power the world, the cost of pipelines to transfer it from place to place are prohibitory. For example, the planned Desertec solar pipeline from North Africa and the Middle East to Europe will cost at least $555 billion. And that's just to power 15% of Europe. But it's still comforting to know that we do have the capacity to completely wean ourselves off coal and other non-renewable resources completely.
[Land Art Generator via Gizmodo]
Related Stories: | Topics:Innovation, Technology, Ethonomics, solar power, Wind Power, wind energy, solar energy, infographic, land art generator, desertec, Science and Technology, Technology, Alternative Energy Technology, Energy Technology, Europe |
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Recent Comments | 4 Total
September 2, 2009 at 1:44pm by Mouli Cohen
Fascinating graphic. Thank you for putting this up, looking forward to see what happens. Solar power is something that I am fascinated by, and see vast growth for in the future.
September 3, 2009 at 11:50am by Michael Powers
There is a new world wide web emerging right before our eyes. It is a global energy network and, like the internet, it will change our culture, society and how we do business. More importantly, it will alter how we use, transform and exchange energy.
Enough solar energy falls on the surface of the earth every 40 minutes to meet 100 percent of the entire world's energy needs for a full year.
There is no energy supply problem, there is an energy distribution problem -- and the emerging solution is a new world wide web of electricity.
For more information, see www.terrawatts.com
September 4, 2009 at 8:26am by Jonny Douglas
embedded energy & environmental impact in Solar is still very high...& wind needs to be done differently, plat to it's strengths, push the technology into the GigaWatts: http://www.kitegen.com/en/
September 4, 2009 at 8:27am by Jonny Douglas
embedded energy & environmental impact in Solar is still very high...& wind needs to be done differently, plat to it's strengths, push the technology into the GigaWatts: http://www.kitegen.com/en/