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EIA says world primary energy usage was 6.346×10^20 J in 2020 for the year (https://www.eia.gov/outlooks/ieo/data/pdf/ref/A01_r.pdf)

The average peak solar irradiance is 1,000 watts/meter^2. Assuming we get that only for 4 hours a day and no sunlight any other time, that's 1.44×10^7 J/m^2/day, or 5.26×10^9 J/m^2/year. Dividing those numbers together, we get 1.21×10^11 square meters needed.

Texas is 6.957×10^11 square meters.

You might want to take that class again.



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