Not only that, but you lose a bit of energy from atmosphere, the spectrum the panels can theoretically absorb and then what you can actually get out of a panel (below)
And that relatively tiny amount of energy is enough to say fuck it, we’ll build a global energy grid of ultra high voltage DC transmission lines and go wild on solar installation, and we’ve got incredibly cheap energy for at least 25 years (the lowest tier of panels degrades at 0.8 percent a year, so you’re looking at 60 percent generation capacity after half a century)
Not only that, but you lose a bit of energy from atmosphere, the spectrum the panels can theoretically absorb and then what you can actually get out of a panel (below)
And that relatively tiny amount of energy is enough to say fuck it, we’ll build a global energy grid of ultra high voltage DC transmission lines and go wild on solar installation, and we’ve got incredibly cheap energy for at least 25 years (the lowest tier of panels degrades at 0.8 percent a year, so you’re looking at 60 percent generation capacity after half a century)