Fact 5: If we covered the Sahara Desert with the photovoltaic cells, we could cover all the energy requirements of the earth!
Photovoltaic is the technology in which light is converted into electrical energy. It is widely accepted today as a method for generating power by using solar cells packaged in photovoltaic modules. These modules are often connected in multiples as solar photovoltaic arrays which can be used to convert energy from the sun into electricity.
Based on Wikipedia, in the Sahara Desert with less cloud, it is possible to achieve 8.3 kWh/m2/day.
The unpopulated area of the Sahara Desert is over 9 million km2 (= 9×1012 m2) which if covered with solar panel would provide: – (8.3 kWh/m2/day) x (9×1012 m2) x (3.6×106 j/kWh) = 2.8682×1020 j/day
The earth current energy consumption is 13.5 TW (13.5 x 1012 W) = 13.5 x 1012 j/s – (13.5 x 1012 j/s) x (60 s/m) x (60 m/h) x (24 h/day) = 1.1664×1018 j/day
Even considering bad weather conditions which reduce the strength of solar energy conversion by 4, the total energy converted from the Sahara Desert is still: – (2.8682×1020 j/day) / 4 = 7.1705×1019 j/day. That is: 7.1705×1019 / 1.1664×1018 j/day = 61.47548 times larger than earth requirement.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photovoltaics
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photovoltaic_array
I’m really glad I found this post. I’ve been checking for information on solar energy for awhile.Looking forward to reading more posts about energy.