New research shows densely populated countries in Southeast Asia and West Africa could harvest effectively unlimited energy from solar panels floating on calm tropical seas near the equator.

‘Limitless’ energy: how floating solar panels near the equator could power future population hotspots::New research shows densely populated countries in Southeast Asia and West Africa could harvest effectively unlimited energy from solar panels floating on calm tropical seas near the equator.

  • OverzeetopEnglish
    1•1 year ago

    Current power demand worldwide could be satisfied with around 115k sq miles of conventional panels. That’s around the size of Arizona or Bulgaria - which is a lot, but also a minuscule amount compared to the earths surface. There’s little need to put panels on the ocean, and it also puts the generation remote from most of the energy usage.

    • @[email protected]English
      1•1 year ago

      Room temperature superconductor (if it’s real) changes the game. We could pave the southwest in panels and send the power where it needs to go.

      • OverzeetopEnglish
        1•1 year ago

        It’s such a weird nerdy thing. And, yeah, if it’s true and manufacturable, the rest of this century is going to be fucking wild.