re: #154 iossarian

This is a cool map:

Image: File:SolarGIS-Solar-map-Europe-en.png

The energy requirement for an electric car is roughly 300 Wh/mile (or roughly 3 miles per kWh). So if you lived in Paris and drove a US-average 12,000 miles per year, you would need a roughly 40 sq m solar installation (at current 10% capture efficiency). Which is not peanuts, but equally is far from impossible.

12,000 miles -> 4,000 kWh captured -> 40,000 irradiation -> 40 sqm @ 1,000 kWh/m2.

Then you just bolt on a solar heating system, a few extra sq m to run your appliances, and you’re good to go!

Lets multiply that 40 sq m x 2.9 million cars (10% of the cars in France) I think we better do nuclear power. The solar energy density is just too low and is only really a portion of the day. Seems to me solar will fill in at the margins and be of great help, but we need far more energetic technology that is clean.