Chapter 27 Development Prospects Brought About by Technological Breakthroughs (More Explanations)

What is the solar power potential of the desert?

Take the Taklimakan Desert, the largest desert in China, as an example.

The total area of ​​the Taklimakan Desert is 330,000 square kilometers, surrounded by inaccessible areas.

According to NASA research, each square meter of desert receives approximately 2,000 kWh to 3,000 kWh of solar energy per year.

If all this solar energy can be converted into electrical energy, it would be enough to use a 1-kilowatt electrical appliance for 3,000 hours. Based on the average annual household electricity consumption of 6,000 watts, only 2 square meters of desert can meet a family's annual electricity consumption.

If this perfect conversion efficiency is followed, the 330,000 square kilometers of the Taklimakan Desert can meet the electricity needs of nearly 160 billion households.

Of course, this conversion efficiency is too exaggerated.

If there was such a conversion efficiency, those princes in the Middle East would have died long ago.

The current conversion rate of solar panels is far from the level of 100% conversion of solar energy. There are currently two main types of human solar power generation equipment, one is concentrated solar energy and the other is photovoltaic solar energy. The conversion of photovoltaic solar energy is more stable than concentrated solar energy, and can achieve a conversion efficiency of up to 23%. However, considering the high temperature, dust and aging of the panels in the desert, the actual conversion efficiency needs to be greatly reduced.

This is real-world solar power efficiency.

The solar power generation technology mastered by Wu Siyuan has a higher conversion efficiency, with a theoretical value reaching 32%, and a very low attenuation rate, which means that its service life will be very long.

Even if solar panels cannot cover all the desert area, 50% of the area will be used for maintenance.

Calculated based on the solar power generation efficiency in Wu Siyuan’s hands,

If calculated according to such predictions, the annual power generation capacity of the Taklimakan Desert will be able to meet the needs of 48 billion households.

Of course, this is household electricity.

Household electricity consumption is only a part of a country's electricity consumption.

Compared with the electricity consumption of industrial giants, household electricity consumption can only be said to be child's play.

For example, Taiwan Electrical and Mechanical Engineering Co., Ltd. in Wanwan Province has an electricity consumption of 16 billion to 17 billion kilowatts.

On average, 50 million kilowatts of electricity are used a day.

It accounts for 6% of the overall power generation in Wanwan Province.

The electricity consumption of Daququ's home in three months is only 20,000 kilowatt-hours, and the average is only 7,000 kilowatt-hours in one month.

The two are not on the same level at all.

Industrial electricity consumption is the bulk, generally accounting for 60% to 70% of total social electricity consumption.

However, using Wu Siyuan’s solar power generation technology, the annual power generation capacity of the Taklimakan Desert can easily be met, with several times the surplus remaining.

Even if real-world solar power generation technology is used, the annual power generation capacity of the Taklimakan Desert can meet the country's electricity demand.

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This is just a desert.

If half of China's deserts were covered with solar panels, the electricity generated would meet global demand.

And the desert areas around the world are even bigger!

The reason why desert photovoltaic power generation has not been widely used before is because electricity transportation is a big problem.

The desert landscape itself doesn't consume that much electricity.

Electricity needs to be delivered to developed areas.

In this case, the longer the power transmission line, the more losses there will be, and the future maintenance of such a long-distance transmission line will also be a huge problem.

I have mentioned this cost issue before.

But Tiantianren’s magnetic field resonance wireless charging technology can realize long-distance power transmission at low cost.

Whether it is the construction of magnetic resonance electric piles or subsequent maintenance, the cost is much lower than that of the power grid.

Once popularized, the most intuitive impact is that electricity prices will continue to fall.

At present, the cost of domestic coal-fired power generation is about 35 to 40 cents. This is still a country with a lot of coal, and the cost of coal combustion is relatively low.

The cost of generating electricity is 30 to 40 cents, and then selling it to the grid is 50 to 60 cents, and in the end it falls on the user, which is more than 70 cents.

Electricity for industrial and commercial use will be more expensive.

But after magnetic resonance electric piles are rolled out across the country, the electricity generated by solar energy in the desert can be transmitted, and the electricity price can be reduced by more than 50%.

As time goes by, the cost of electricity prices can be further reduced.

The reduction in domestic electricity prices will have an immediate stimulating effect on the economy, which can be said to be a great benefit.

The costs of some power-consuming enterprises, such as the steel industry, electrolytic aluminum industry, electroplating industry, and chip production industry, will be greatly reduced, at least by 5 to 10 percent, and more than 10 percent is possible.

These industries are all low-profit industries, and they all rely on volume to make profits.

Such a high cost reduction can directly explode their profits.

Of course, this kind of huge profits will not last long, and the invisible hand of the market will mediate on its own.

However, this reduced cost will be transmitted throughout the entire industry chain, and the final result will be reduced product costs, increased profits, and enhanced competitiveness.

In addition, the decline in electricity prices will also cause many products that were previously unprofitable to become profitable.

For example, Wu Siyuan has been thinking about vertical farming for a long time.

Vertical farming, or more specifically vertical farms, are cylindrical in shape with floors stacked like chips.

Each floor is a farmland with a complex irrigation system.

All crops will be grown in a controlled environment and checked for maturity using electronic eyes. They can be planted and harvested 365 days a year.

Its advantages and disadvantages are outstanding.

The advantage is that the products produced are organic agricultural products, which are healthy and guaranteed. During the planting process of the indoor farm, pests can be effectively controlled, so that no pesticides are used, and the crops can be grown organically.

Secondly, transportation costs can be greatly reduced, urban residents can pick up food on the spot, and the source can be traced.

In addition, it is also very convenient in management. Because it is centralized production, agricultural pollution can be treated more concentratedly and efficiently. If the device is well done, it can also achieve sustainable utilization of resources.

The cultivated land used in traditional agriculture is likely to need to be converted into forests, but vertical farming does not have such a problem. Converting farmland to forest is an effort to combat global warming. Through this process, the forest areas that have been cut down can return to their original state and be filled with plants again, providing habitat for various animals. At the same time, they can reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and provide opportunities for the entertainment industry. and tourism offers beautiful scenery.

Of course, the disadvantages of vertical farming are also obvious.

First, the investment cost is high, involving many aspects such as architectural design, engineering arrangements, agricultural operations, and agronomic planning.

Second, the quality requirements for technical and management personnel are relatively high.

Third, it consumes a lot of power. Vertical farms require greater power input than traditional greenhouse cultivation, and the economic costs are very high.

The cost of electricity for vertical farming is six to seven times that of a traditional farm.