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I also think that solar power will also be used in food production. It will be needed for creating fertilizer. And more directly it can be used to create food from air and water using hydrogen oxidizing bacteria. Solar Foods is an example of a company doing this https://solarfoods.com/ (again not endorsing them). If this kind of food production becomes widespread, it will require a lot of solar panels.
4/N
The book was written in 2021 and solar has grown dramatically since then. I think synthetic fuels created using solar power will be a big part of the energy mix going forward. There are companies like Terraform Industries
https://www.terraformindustries.com/ and Prometheus Fuels https://prometheusfuels.com/ (these are not an endorsements) which are pushing in this direction. If synthetic fuels take off, then there would be massive demand for more solar.
3/N
I also think that solar power will also be used in food production. It will be needed for creating fertilizer. And more directly it can be used to create food from air and water using hydrogen oxidizing bacteria. Solar Foods is an example of a company doing this https://solarfoods.com/ (again not endorsing them). If this kind of food production becomes widespread, it will require a lot of solar panels.
4/N
I want to be clear that I don't support covering the planet in solar panels. The last thing our wild plant and animal friends need is more pressure on their habitats. But unfortunately at least in the US, there is a deep expectation for growth. People want there 401k's to go up. They want their kids to have more than they did. The book convincingly argues that those economic desires require physical energy. So until our collective mindset changes, there will be growing demand for energy with solar being the most feasible form.
5/N
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