ABSTRACT
Solar power became the world’s leader in new electricity generation in 2017. Worldwide, public utilities and private companies installed 73 gigawatts (1 gigawatt is 1 billion watts) of new solar photovoltaic capacity. Earth receives 885 million terawatt-hours each year, or 165,000 terawatts (1 terawatt equals 1 million megawatts) of power from the Sun every moment of every day. The Sun was recognized as Earth’s vast nuclear fusion reactor. So, the truly big resource for humanity’s future energy needs exists in the sky, in the form of that great big nuclear hydrogen fusion reactor. With a global population projected to reach 10 billion by 2050, harnessing 60 terawatts will provide each individual with the modern equivalent of a few kilowatt-hours (1 kilowatt-hour is 1,000 watts) each day. Operating continuously for a day, a 40-watt electric appliance uses 1 kilowatt-hour. Theoretically, such goals are achievable with state-of-the-art solar panels covering a landmass equivalent to the size of Texas for the entire world.
