I've always wondered how many PV solar panels it would take to power an entire home. I usually see about 20 large panels on homes that claim to generate all their power needs, but all that can change with technology that is already in use in space since the early days of satellites. In space satellites are powered by PV panels that use gallium arsenide but on our roof tops silicone PV cells are used which are less efficient. The satellites are able to convert 40% of the sun's energy for its use while the silicone PV can convert 20% of the sun's energy to electricity at best. However gallium arsenide PVs are so expensive that its still out of reach in the burgeoning solar economy. But with changing times and the drive for clean energy becoming more entrenched in the world's politics and economy gallium arsenide cells will be scalable and affordable for centralised green power plants as the economy of scale powers into solar power. Watch this documentary on super solar cells and the amazing research they are doing in Australia.
The video below done by VPRO channel in the Netherlands published in 2012. Its about Germany's success in powering with solar. We can all do it too if we can make our governments care enough for our future. It proves the cons of going green wrong. One of the biggest challenge against green power is that too much space is needed to produce the energy a country needs. But when it comes down to real math estimates it takes about 300,000 square kilometres in the Sahara to power man's entire electrical needs. That's about the size of France, which is relatively small considering that panels can be mounted on roof tops of all the buildings in the world. Also the technology is advancing with time on the output efficiency and size factor as seen in the previous video.
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