If we filled the Mohave Desert with solar panels would we have enough energy to supply Los Angeles?

Question

Sun energy is the bases for all on this planet, we need to tap from the ultimate source.

Answer 1

No because we'd use too much energy creating the Solar Pannels

Little know fact that as per the Law of conservation of Energy

A solar pannel will never create more power in its lifetime than was used in creating it in the first place.

Making solar pannels pretty useless for mass energy purposes.
They are still good in suplying power to remote or mobile places but not good for like a power plant.

The future in solar Power is parabolic dishes that focus sunlight to a point where it is used to heat hydrogen or water, in which no solar pannels are used

Answer 2

If you filled the Mohave Desert with solar panels, you'd have a maintenance nightmare. Besides, it isn't even the best place to implement that size of a solar plant. There are many other issues, too. One of which is that you still probably wouldn't generate enough power to supply L.A. for 365 days a year.

There are much better alternatives out there.

Answer 3

from the wikipedia:

The 10 megawatt Bavaria Solarpark in Germany is the world's largest solar electric system, covering 25 hectares (62 acres) with 57,600 photovoltaic panels. [24]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_energy
(this is an excellent and through article)

assuming the ratio of 10 megawatts for 60 acres we get .17 GW/acre

this cool site shows the real time electrical use for some part of california, but it appears to be more than just LA.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-caliso-furl,0,6193671.framedurl

The Los Angelos Department of water and Power has about 7000 megawatts of generating capability for LasAngelos. I think that is the bulk of Los Angelos electricity usage.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_Department_of_Water_and_Power

so, .17 MW / acre and 7000 megawatts needed means you would only need 40,000 acres of solar power farm to provide Los Angelos. I suspect do to access and other requirements you would probably need a higher acreage ration with a farm that big so I would assume at least 50,000 acres.

I can't imagine the work force and equipment it would take to maintain 50,000 acres of voltaic plates and I assume the construction/operation cost would be prohibitive.

I did this pretty quick so I may have made a math or reference error but I'm going with it.

Answer 4

Given the efficiency of solar panels nowadays I believe we would. But it does not strike me as the right approach to supplying cities with energy. I firmly believe that the best way out of our energy woes is to integrate many different sources. Solar, wind, geothermal (dry-bed would be the method of choice for LA, as in your example), nuclear (thoughtfully re-imagined) tidal, ocean thermal conversion: such a mix would assure that we are not dependent on any one method, and would work better for the distribution. One of the unmentioned problems with energy is not the production of it, but the transmission. Much is lost over actually relatively short distances in electric lines. So the answer is, mix and localize.

Such an approach would also go a long way toward keeping monopoly in check, thus addressing one of the supreme obstacles to progress.

Answer 5

Uhm... The United States produces roughly 4 trillion kwh annually. Solar panels covering all of the mojave desert would create roughly 25.5 trillion kwh (25% efficiency) with a conservative 8 hour day on average.

Oh but, you know, putting solar panels across a 35,000km^2 desert is next to impossible and a pal of laughable. It would be about as easy as putting a 6-lane highway across the pacific ocean.

edit: oops i miscalculated on the original post

Answer 6

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