What If We Covered the Sahara With Solar Panels?

Summary by Krater

An exploration of the Sahara desert's solar potential, examining how covering parts of it with solar panels could power the entire world, along with the engineering and logistical challenges involved.

From the video

Answers: What would happen if we covered the entire Sahara desert with solar panels?

• solar energy potential of the Sahara desert
• concentrating solar power plants
• solar panel costs and infrastructure
• climate impact of Sahara solar farms

What it concludes

• Covering an area of the Sahara the size of New Mexico with solar panels could power the entire world's modern electricity needs.
• Covering the entire Sahara desert with solar panels would generate more than seven times the energy consumed by the global population.
• Completely covering the Sahara with solar panels would alter the local temperature differential and trigger rainfall across the desert.
• Removing the Saharan dust could destroy ecosystems like the Amazon rainforest by cutting off essential fertilizers.