This video from SolarCity provides a concise visualization of what a solar powered America could look like, by indicating on a map the physical space that would be required for solar to meet 100% of the nation’s energy needs (amounting to 4 million GWh). Dedicating just 0.6% of the land (or 11,200,000 acres) in the United States to solar farming could allow the country to replace coal, natural gas and nuclear energy production with solar. Imagine just how much we could do here in Canada with our 2.467 billion acres.
The island nation of Tokelau in the South Pacific had been entirely solar powered since 2012. As that part of the world is in one of the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, immediate and real action was a top priority. It is our responsibility to embrace action over re-action to push ahead with renewable energy, not only to protect the nations among the atolls, but our collective futures as well.