February 7, 2026
Sunburnt memes, scorching takes
Total Surface Area Required to Fuel the World with Solar (2009)
Power the planet with Spain-sized solar? Commenters want golf courses and guts
TLDR: A 2009 estimate says a Spain-sized solar area could power the world. Commenters battle over priorities: some slam golf courses and corn ethanol as misallocated land, others point to Australia’s cheaper, cleaner grid as proof it’s possible, with a 2021 update offering fresher numbers and hope.
A 2009 visual claims the world could run on solar if we covered an area roughly the size of Spain in panels. The community didn’t argue the math much—they argued the priorities. One top comment turned heads with a spicy comparison: “We have 40,000 golf courses; maintain solar like that and we’re 10% there.” Cue the memes: “Replace sand traps with solar,” “nine irons meet nine kilowatts.” The vibe: markets can manicure fairways, but can’t fund the future.
On the doom-versus-doers front, one camp warns mega-solar needs global teamwork—“and people only cooperate when everyone’s truly at risk.” Another camp claps back with real-world receipts: Australia’s wholesale power prices halved in late 2025 thanks to a solar-and-battery blitz, and they’re now 50% renewables. Meanwhile, a hard-hitting hot take roasted biofuels: the land the U.S. uses for corn ethanol? Roughly a third of the solar area this paper says could run the planet—“a gigantic waste.” Practical voices drop receipts too, linking the updated 2021 analysis with more modern numbers and models: landartgenerator.org. Overall mood: the math says “doable,” the comments say “where’s the will?”—with jokes, jabs, and a side of fairway shade.
Key Points
- •Global energy consumption projected at 678 quadrillion Btu (715 exajoules) by 2030, per the U.S. EIA.
- •Converted demand equals about 198,721,800,000,000 kW•h annually (listed as 199,721 TW•h).
- •Assumptions: 0.2 kW per m² PV capacity, 70% sunny days, 2,000 sun-hours/year, yielding 400 kW•h/m²/year.
- •Required land area for solar to meet global demand: ~496,805 km² (about the area of Spain).
- •Scale context: 5,000 super-sites (<10 km per side each); comparisons with UAE plans, UN deforestation rates, China farmland, and Sahara area.