How much energy would an Earth covered completely in solar panels produce and surface area of solar panels does it take to power the world?
The question is somewhat specious.
It makes the same mistake as most of the discussion about energy,
namely, it presumes that our current hyper-consumptive hyper-emissive sociopathic infinite-growth capitalist predatory-parasitic exploitive colonialist dominator cult-ure is immutable and inevitable and sacrosanct.
In reality, most of our societies are massively inefficient and unjust and unsupportable and unsustainable in the long term.
What is required, not as a "solution" but merely as the means to make
the impending crash less awful, is a determined engagement with
DrawDown
DeGrowth
DeIndustrialization of petrochemical monocrop agriculture
Doughnut Economics
DeColonization
DeepAdaptation
PostDoom
Solar PV certainly has some application but the reality is that
the energy density of petroleum - at standard temperature and pressure is not available from other sources.
The energy and resources NOT consumed are the most efficient.
To answer your question and using google as the source of data then with rounded numbers, approximation for simplicity:
a = 600 * 10^6 TJ of energy is consumed annually and globally,
b = 3 * 10^6 EJ of solar energy is generated annually and globally on Earth,
c = 10 % is the efficiency of solar panel ( low average case )
d = 30 % of Earth is a land mass.
Crude and quick calculations shows that
f= b * c * d = 9 * 10^22 J energy is available using solar panels on global scale,
g= a/f *100 = 0.7 % of land mass is needed to produce energy for consumption.
Percentage of available land mass from best solar continents/countries are,
Africa - 6 %
South America - 3.5 %
U.S. - 1.8 %
Australia - 1.5 %
India - 0.6 %
India can barely fulfill the global energy needs.
Half of Australia can completely fulfill the global energy needs with solar panels only and using sand battery to make source of energy continuous.
Using wind mills, water dams, wave generators, the land needed can be reduced at least by a half or from 0.7 % to 0.35 %. For example, Canada can have all its energy needs fulfilled with water dams alone. Nearly the entire desert of Australia is available enough for global energy needs.
In other words, we have lots of available options, resources and opportunities for energy consumption efficiency improvement. Energy consumption efficiency, solar, water dams wave generators, wind mills are the best tools to generate high quality life and maintain a clean environment.
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