The Solar Solution - the only solution

Solar power is our only salvation. Look at the numbers:

Total world energy consumption = 678quadrillion Btu/year = 7.15 exajoules by 2030 (44% increase over 2008). Converted to kWh = 199721 TWh/year

Solar energy arriving = 0.16kW/m2 (at 20% eff)
Sun shines for 70% of days (World wide), = 250days @ 8hrs/day = 2000hrs per year of sunlight
So a m2 solar panel = 0.16*2000 kWh /year = 320kWh

So we need 199000000000000/320 m2 of panels to power the world = 497,000 km2 = Area of Spain.

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170,000 km2 of forest is destroyed every year, so if we made solar panels at the same rate we would need 3 years to power the world.

The Sahara desert (at 9,000,000 km2) is 18 times the area needed to power the world.

If everyone covered their motorways with panels, at the speed they build the motorways, it would need about 35 years to power the world.

If we cover all the worlds golf of courses this would provide 10% of the world energy needs.

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Of course we need a lot of ultra-capacitors/batteries to provide the energy when the sun in not shining.

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In comparison

Wave power can provide < 1% of the world's energy needs. By damming all available rivers hyrdo-electricity can provide < 2% of the world's energy needs.

Wind power can provide the needs but we need 11,000,000 turbines and we would need 5,900,000km2 to put them on. For the UK's energy needs we would need 100,000km2 of wind turbines on the west coast of Ireland (186,000 turbines)

CONCLUSION

Solar panels are going to have to do most of the work (we need at least 10x10m each in UK), but a diversified solution is best as it is doubtful we can make enough solar panels in the time we have available as energy needs grow and oil (20years) and uranium (80 years) run out.

START WORRYING NOW or their will be unthinkable consequences. more info at Land Generator Org