Does 1TW not sound as impressive as 1000GW?
But at what cost?
I’m all for solar & I’m planning on investing $10k in a small setup myself - but solar has some significant issues. solar panels generally dont get 100% of the advertised rate, are really only about 24% efficient with bleeding-edge tech, and degrade over time which requires constant upkeep in very large installations. they’re also somewhat susceptible to environmental hazards like hail or sandstorms. additionally, you have to store the power somewhere so it can be used during the times it isnt sunny (generally more than 50% of any given day). battery tech has come a long, long way in recent years but we need long-term energy storage solutions that can be built at scale.
Solar isn’t a solution for everything and that’s precisely why China is pursuing a multi pronged approach for its transition off fossil fuels. China is actively developing wind power, geothermal, hydro, and nuclear on a massive scale. Each of these technologies has its own pros and cons, and they all work together.
I think you’re misunderstanding to some degree. While silicon PV caps out at around 24% (I think up to 27% now), 100% conversion is basically impossible because of physics.
Plus, the sun basically has infinite energy, so it’s not like efficiency is that big of a concern compared to energy density.
Let’s start using TW and TWh units then! https://g.co/bard/share/6726b69136a9
