General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: The total area of solar panels it would take to power the world, Europe, and Germany [View all]CSStrowbridge
(267 posts)This plan wouldn't work. Having centralized solar panels like that wouldn't work because it is not 100% efficient to transport electricity through wires and a concentration of solar farms in those areas would cause environmental problems. Granted, these environmental problems are not bad as even the cleanest natural gas plant, but they do exist.
Instead, make it free for people to install solar panels on their houses, but in exchange they have to sell excess electricity back into the grid for free, until the cost of the solar panels and installation is paid for. You decentralize the power generation, which will make up for the lower levels of sunlight most places get. Even if you live in a temperate rain forest, like Seattle, solar power makes sense. In places like Arizona have larger solar farms to generate electricity on an industrial scale and of course put money into R&D for batteries to store excess electricity.