The total area of solar panels it would take to power the world, Europe, and Germany

[Plucketeer]

35. That's a fair point of note

But the thing you seem to miss is that that required area wouldn't have to BE IN ONE PLACE. That area - spread across many continents and countries would lessen the losses you note, significantly.

BTW, here in Central CA - where there's GOBS of sunlight most of the year - there's a rush of outfits pushing solar systems that you lease. You're locked into a monthly payment for 20 or 25 years. You still have to make a make-up payment to your power supplier, but you have the locked in rate with the leaser. It might be nice to know that your meter is running backwards during the day, but you're not saving much in the end.
To add insult to injury, the power companies have installed new remotely monitored meters on most homes. That means that when they get to raise rates, they'll skew the increases to the dark-time hours to make sure they still get their money.

We have almost a whole acre of bare, flat property we could put panels on. Our best bet would be to buy a system outright - such as you can buy from Costco - and set it up. Yes, you have to have some technical skills - and I happen to have a mechanical/electrical background. If I'm gonna join the solar revolution, that's how I'll approach it.