From Paul Muir
The map showing the parts of the globe best suited to generating solar electricity and the area of solar photovoltaic panels required to meet our existing needs (8 December 2007, p 32) makes the prospects look very dim indeed. The area is the size of a small country!
At present, a large proportion of energy is wasted on transmission from centralised sources and through other inefficient practices. Much of the electricity we now generate is used to produce low-grade heat. There are much easier and more sustainable ways of producing this energy. If electricity were used rationally and efficiently, the area of photovoltaic panels required would be relatively small and our solar future a lot brighter.
Townsville, Queensland, Australia
