Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search
And the oil rich nations? aquart Jan 2013 #1
Pay 'em off! Get them into the solar array business! randome Jan 2013 #3
Luckily we've sold them plenty of weapons so when their economies go to shit... progressoid Jan 2013 #12
They're located at the best places adieu Jan 2013 #32
Who the fuck cares? Zoeisright Jan 2013 #57
like us?? there's still plenty of uses for oil NMDemDist2 Jan 2013 #74
Cover 'em up! NYC_SKP Jan 2013 #99
Why, they can go pound sand. Occulus Jan 2013 #126
Truly good news riverbendviewgal Jan 2013 #2
1% of the land we have now or 1% of what will be left after the ice caps melt? Motown_Johnny Jan 2013 #4
But wouldn't that require about 300% of the world's Lanthanides? Recursion Jan 2013 #5
Whatever is needed can probably be synthetically created. randome Jan 2013 #8
I'm all for a "Man on the Moon" goal for renewable energy Recursion Jan 2013 #10
I think that could be done but it would be more like WWII level of societal effort Fumesucker Jan 2013 #14
Yeah. I wish things other than imminent death brought that out in people Recursion Jan 2013 #15
Or a fake Ozymandious invasion, ala Watchmen. randome Jan 2013 #16
No. We cannot "synthetically create" various elements jberryhill Jan 2013 #20
i don't think you can synthetically create elements. ret5hd Jan 2013 #53
Actually, the moon would be the best place to put solar arrays. xtraxritical Jan 2013 #128
Why on earth would you want to use lanthanides? jberryhill Jan 2013 #19
Have they fixed that in the last 6 years? Recursion Jan 2013 #21
They are used in certain exotic PV's jberryhill Jan 2013 #23
Cool, thanks. Recursion Jan 2013 #25
And how much usable energy tama Jan 2013 #30
Easy..... paleotn Jan 2013 #56
But the exotic PVs have higher efficiency Confusious Jan 2013 #31
And the Tesla is a great car jberryhill Jan 2013 #35
What about land area Confusious Jan 2013 #37
Oh, I thought I got the land for free jberryhill Jan 2013 #49
Agenda 21? Confusious Jan 2013 #65
Shhhh... jberryhill Jan 2013 #66
Roofs? Parking lots? and then of course vacant land. A lot here, a lot there in parts of JDPriestly Jan 2013 #86
You think cities take up 1% of the land mass of the United States Confusious Jan 2013 #108
Cities and desert lands. JDPriestly Jan 2013 #119
There's a lot Confusious Jan 2013 #122
We'll find the will. JDPriestly Jan 2013 #127
As you, yourself, have pointed out intaglio Jan 2013 #129
20+% is no longer exotic, it's mainstream for SunPower. 44% is exotic. NYC_SKP Jan 2013 #36
Yea, I said that's what the report is based on Confusious Jan 2013 #38
Got it. Also, I'm confident that the 1% figure is too great. NYC_SKP Jan 2013 #45
But if we use 1% BSlappedInvisibleHan Jan 2013 #60
We need just 1/6000th the land surface at 100% efficiency. NYC_SKP Jan 2013 #64
An in the opposite corner, JDPriestly Jan 2013 #88
Ah, well, I didn't know there was a PV technology assumption in the report jberryhill Jan 2013 #50
What about Eastern California where it's mostly desert? MessiahRp Jan 2013 #93
California is a long way from the east coast Confusious Jan 2013 #107
There's a lot of unused land in the US right now. We could make this work if we wanted to. MessiahRp Jan 2013 #109
Is there any land that has absolutly nothing on it Confusious Jan 2013 #111
I'm sure there is. Also, rooftops in cities... MessiahRp Jan 2013 #112
Yea, but as my other post pointed out Confusious Jan 2013 #123
Now imagine ... 1StrongBlackMan Jan 2013 #6
Dream on! randome Jan 2013 #9
Thanks ... 1StrongBlackMan Jan 2013 #22
People who think solar energy is unrealistic do not live in Arizona, New Mexico or Southern JDPriestly Jan 2013 #89
Or ... 1StrongBlackMan Jan 2013 #96
Hellz yeah! NoOneMan Jan 2013 #7
Have teh solerz saved YOU yet? Systematic Chaos Jan 2013 #75
It isn't as if I don't "believe" in solar NoOneMan Jan 2013 #106
I got ya. I feel exactly the way you do. Systematic Chaos Jan 2013 #113
Do the necessary elements exist in such quantity on Earth? cthulu2016 Jan 2013 #11
My math could be wrong.... NCTraveler Jan 2013 #13
A quarter of Arizona Confusious Jan 2013 #33
But you put the panels on roofs and buildings and parking lots as well as desert land. JDPriestly Jan 2013 #90
I think that is a big question. NCTraveler Jan 2013 #95
We will probably need to do some of each. Homes, schools and desert solar ranches. JDPriestly Jan 2013 #116
Adding up the area of every city Confusious Jan 2013 #110
But that land isn't hard to find in the deserts of the Southwest. JDPriestly Jan 2013 #115
There are some large plants, like the cactus. Confusious Jan 2013 #121
And Joshua trees, but that can be dealt with. JDPriestly Jan 2013 #125
1% of world's land is a lot of land cpwm17 Jan 2013 #17
About 575,000 square miles I believe onenote Jan 2013 #26
And not only that, if one of the worlds volcanoes erupts, solar efficiencies could/will plummet. RC Jan 2013 #48
About 1 percent of the U.S. landmass is covered by pavement daleo Jan 2013 #78
Time To Finally Aim That Way colsohlibgal Jan 2013 #18
Why do you think belief has anything to do with the problem we face? NoOneMan Jan 2013 #24
Yep. However..... AverageJoe90 Jan 2013 #52
that would be awesome samsingh Jan 2013 #27
Not until I receive my promised flying car Brother Buzz Jan 2013 #28
But where is storage tech today? longship Jan 2013 #29
Hydrogen, pumped hydro... (nt) NYC_SKP Jan 2013 #34
Electrolysis of sea water, I was thinking. longship Jan 2013 #55
You do realize that seawater has to be distilled Confusious Jan 2013 #69
That may be true, but the water can also be used for other purposes as well. longship Jan 2013 #70
Yes, but there's a reason it's only used when there's no other choice Confusious Jan 2013 #71
Very true... longship Jan 2013 #73
We're using pumped hydro right now with Diablo Canyon nuke power at night. NYC_SKP Jan 2013 #81
Cool, let me clarify "loser" longship Jan 2013 #83
Electric cars would help store the power and keep the grid going at night. Also don't forget wind. rightsideout Jan 2013 #42
Solar Two was a start green for victory Jan 2013 #61
And now... Amonester Jan 2013 #85
Didn't I see this on the news in the '80s? dorkulon Jan 2013 #39
Solar (and other "emerging" technologies) are why we need government Spike89 Jan 2013 #40
Good point, and very true. n/t AverageJoe90 Jan 2013 #43
Everybody knows computers will be better and cheaper next year, does that inhibit PoliticAverse Jan 2013 #79
Actually it did for a long time Spike89 Jan 2013 #117
Who could imagined that we could get energy from the Sun Rosa Luxemburg Jan 2013 #41
Sad!! Lobo27 Jan 2013 #44
Energy needs or electricity needs? nxylas Jan 2013 #46
Make it so Berlum Jan 2013 #47
Daily Kos diarist got it wrong; not 'worldwide', in selected locations muriel_volestrangler Jan 2013 #51
Shhh! Don't upset the nukers with such ideas. It doesn't fit into the future of life on leveymg Jan 2013 #54
While the US was executing the PNAC plan, Germany became the leader in PV green for victory Jan 2013 #58
Here's Olmedilla de Alarcón Spain green for victory Jan 2013 #72
Storage Storage Storage upi402 Jan 2013 #59
please see #61 green for victory Jan 2013 #62
Electrolysis: 2H2O -> 2H2 + O2 longship Jan 2013 #63
"I do not think we have a long time before we all realize that this needs to be top priority" green for victory Jan 2013 #67
Smart grid entails proprietary protocol problems upi402 Jan 2013 #131
Except they will never be allowed to build it because of a few endangered species n2doc Jan 2013 #68
I don't see desert ecosystems "doing just fine." joshcryer Jan 2013 #76
Possibilities aren't necessarily realities. Fossil fuels remain most profitable. joshcryer Jan 2013 #77
Actually, less than 1/10 of 1% of the planet. 0.08% with 20% efficient modules. NYC_SKP Jan 2013 #80
Installing solar over previously undeveloped land... hunter Jan 2013 #82
Yours is the classic blindness. NYC_SKP Jan 2013 #84
What's the downside we have to worry about? The2ndWheel Jan 2013 #97
No argument here. NYC_SKP Jan 2013 #98
Nope, got the right post The2ndWheel Jan 2013 #100
With this many people, it boils down to the lesser of evils. NYC_SKP Jan 2013 #101
+1 XemaSab Jan 2013 #87
wait so putting pv on rooftops is destroying more land? uponit7771 Jan 2013 #92
"world" by 2050? moondust Jan 2013 #91
But we only need to cover 1% of the oceans with oil slicks to do it with oil' grahamhgreen Jan 2013 #94
The problem is that the global economy doesn't work that way. GliderGuider Jan 2013 #102
The global economy CAN work that way if enough international cooperation gets underway. randome Jan 2013 #103
Let me know how that works out. GliderGuider Jan 2013 #104
YOU are the alternative power! farminator3000 Jan 2013 #105
Yes, now please Matariki Jan 2013 #114
check out the solar towers here- going up in AZ and TX, i think. pretty f'in cool! farminator3000 Jan 2013 #118
also MIT is doing 3-D solar panels farminator3000 Jan 2013 #120
The EnviroMission tower is expected to be completed in 2015 farminator3000 Jan 2013 #124
Thin metallic film, nanoparticles, plasmonics, supramolecules upi402 Jan 2013 #130
K&R farminator3000 Jan 2013 #132
Latest Discussions»General Discussion»New Report: Solar could p...»Reply #98