Why don't we cover the desert with solar panels? - Dan Kwartler

Watch the 2021 TED Global Countdown Livestream here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SG_vqlb1pOQ

This empowering event lays out a credible and realistic pathway to a net-zero future. Featuring some of your favorite celebrities, Countdown will leave you hopeful, informed and ready to take action.

Explore what would happen if we covered the Sahara Desert in solar panels, and the possibility of it solving our energy crisis.

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Stretching over roughly nine million square kilometers and with sands reaching temperatures of up to 80 Celsius, the Sahara Desert receives about 22 million terawatt hours of energy from the Sun every year. Thats well over 100 times more energy than humanity consumes annually. So, could covering the desert with solar panels solve our energy problems? Dan Kwartler digs into the possibility.

Lesson by Dan Kwartler, directed by Christoph Sarow, AIM Creative Studios.

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View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/why-don-t-we-cover-the-desert-with-solar-panels-dan-kwartler
Dig deeper with additional resources: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/why-don-t-we-cover-the-desert-with-solar-panels-dan-kwartler#digdeeper

Animator's website: http://aimcreativestudios.com
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