What total area would we need to cover with solar cells to supply all the power needed for the US while solar cells are generating an average (247) power of about 230 wattsm to 2nd power?

Answer 1

To estimate the total area required to supply all the power needed for the U.S. with solar cells, we first need to determine the total energy consumption. The U.S. consumes approximately 4,000 terawatt-hours (TWh) annually, which translates to an average power demand of about 456 gigawatts (GW). If solar cells generate an average of 230 watts per square meter, the total area needed can be calculated by dividing the total power requirement (456 GW or 456,000,000 kW) by the power generated per square meter (0.230 kW/m²). This results in roughly 1.98 billion square meters, or about 490,000 acres.