Solar panels covering less than 2% of the Sahara desert would generate enough electricity to power the entire world, according to Professor Mehran Moalem, expert on nuclear materials and nuclear fuel cycle. Responding to a question on Quora, he estimated the cost of the project to be around $5tn, with an average capacity factor of "greater than 22%" for panels costing an estimated 30 cents per Watt. The technology is not new.
Solar panels covering less than 2% of the Sahara desert would generate enough electricity to power the entire world, according to Professor Mehran Moalem, expert on nuclear materials and nuclear fuel cycle. Responding to a question on Quora, he estimated the cost of the project to be around $5tn, with an average capacity factor of "greater than 22%" for panels costing an estimated 30 cents per Watt. Although the production of solar panels is not without environmental risk, Moalem believes the impact on the Sahara would be negligible.