Solar U.S.A. Elon Musk is talking, again, about his idea to turn 10,000 square miles in the U.S. desert into a solar farm that can power the entire nation. In a Saturday Twitter reply to an article by Treehugger about Bill Gates questioning the efficiency of solar power, Musk fired back that “all you need is a 100 by 100 mile patch in a deserted corner of Arizona, Texas or Utah (or anywhere) to more than power the entire USA.” He first talked about the idea in 2015, and reiterated them in 2017, as Inverse points out . “The batteries you need to store the energy, so you have 24/7 power, is 1 mile by 1 mile,” Musk said at the National Governors Association Summer Meeting in Rhode Island in 2017. “One square-mile. That’s it.” Sunny Money Musk also linked to a University College London blog post , in which energy researcher Andrew Smith did some back-0f-the-envelope calculations, finding that a 10,000 square kilometer area — far smaller than the “100 by 100 mile patch” to be clear — could generate about 500 Gigawatts at 21 percent efficiency, the average in Northwest Texas. That’s more than the U.S. annual […]
Latest Articles
Scientists Discover How to Stop Banana Peels from Browning
Takeaways: Researchers are looking to understand and prevent banana peels from browning to reduce the amount of the food waste.
They say that browning...
Lawyers File on Behalf of Elephant to Make Her a Legal Person
Takeaways: Happy is an elephant based in New York who has been living at the Bronx Zoo for over 40 years.
Activists have filed...
Jet Fuel from Paper Industry Waste Could Make Airplanes Cleaner
Takeaways: Researchers are using lignin to make a jet fuel that has lower emissions than petroleum based fuels.
The paper produces millions of tons...
Californian Cow Burps Have Been Detected by Satellites. Here’s Why that Matters
Takeaways: Satellites have detected methane emissions from cow's burps from a feedlot in California.
The ability to measure and pinpoint methane emissions is a...
Bamboo Diapers are Better for your Wallet and the Planet
Takeaways: DYPER bamboo diapers have no latex, alcohol, chlorine, lotion, phthalates or TBT.
These diapers are made out of fibers from responsibly-sourced bamboo.
“We...
10 Ways Sustainability and Your Health Go Hand-in-Hand
Takeaways: Some ways sustainability and health are interconnected include how we manage the food we eat and how it impacts climate change.
The way...