Submitted by manual_tranny t3_10a02cq in Futurology
manual_tranny OP t1_j4brojr wrote
Reply to comment by r2k-in-the-vortex in From 300 GW to 3,000 GW per year – a utopia? by manual_tranny
Solar panels do not produce nameplate capacity because of clouds, rain, snow, and nighttime. So, we have to build significantly more 'capacity' (GW) in order to produce the amount of energy we actually consume over time (GWh). Naturally, this is why energy storage is so important.
Your math is wrong in other ways too, because you are assuming that in the future we will be consuming the same amount of electricity as we are consuming today. That's pretty silly, since today we are only beginning to electrify buildings, manufacturing, and transportation. In order to do that, we will need additions of 3,000 GW of capacity each year.
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