Why don’t we cover the desert with solar panels? | Dan Kwartler | TED-Ed Animation

Learn more about sustainable energy with “Why don’t we cover the desert with solar panels?” In this TED-Ed animation, Dan Kwartler explores whether or not covering the desert with solar panels will help solve our energy problems. 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. That’s well over 100 times more energy than humanity consumes annually. Kwartler discusses the possibility of accessing solar energy on the desert landscape, by using panels and other options, in order to offer fresh insight on how to tackle sustainability and climate change.

This video is directed by Christoph Sarow (AIM Creative Studios), narrated by Jack Cutmore-Scott and features music by André Aires.