How many solar panels would it take to power Earth?
What would a world powered by solar energy alone look like?
According to one study, it would need to be enough solar panels to fill an area about the size of West Virginia.
The Sun powers our solar system, so could it power all our Earthly needs, too?
And if it someday could, where would all those solar panels go?
According to a graduate thesis by Technical University of Braunschweig student Nadine May, the number of solar panels needed to supply the entire world’s energy needs would fill just 25,000 square miles – or an area only slightly larger than the state of West Virginia.