zlacker

Right now it is.

However, the amount of available land is fixed and the demand for its use is growing. Solar isn't the only buyer in this real estate market.

>>bob102+(OP)
We have so much excess land with no real use for it that our government actually pays farmers to grow corn on it to burn in cars.

Availability of land for solar production isn't remotely a real problem in the near term.

>>Jeremy+t
This.

I feel like everyone just lost their mind.

>>bob102+(OP)
the demand is pretty much fake and AI isn't actually making money, just gobbling investors money

>>bob102+(OP)
Realizing the impracticality of it (and that such approaches often collapse under the infeasibility of it) ... wouldn't it be better to... say... cover the Sahara in solar panels instead? That's gotta be cheaper than shipping them into space.

https://inhabitat.com/worlds-largest-solar-project-sahara-de...

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2009/nov/01/solar-power...

(and a retrospective from 2023 - https://www.ecomena.org/desertec/ )

>>bob102+(OP)
Solar can always just go on the roof...

>>Jeremy+t
The Technology Connections Youtube channel recently did a great video arguing pretty convincingly that the land used to grow corn for cars would be vastly more efficiently used from an energy perspective if we covered it with solar panels.

>>morale+U
You just have to remember, most of these people live in high density regions and have little comprehension about how much surface area humanity truly occupies... And that isn't even accounting for offshore constructs.

>>Jeremy+t
This is really underselling it tbh. Any land that's growing corn in a developed country is likely top 1% of land on earth. Half of the earth is desert and tundra. Which is still incredibly easier to work with than space because you can ship there with a pickup very cheaply. Maybe when nevada and central australia are wall-to-wall solar panels we can check back on space.

>>shagie+k3
From an engineering perspective, with today’s costs, yes. But don’t forget the political complications of dealing with all those countries that own the Sahara, that’s going to come at it’s own cost.

>>mr_toa+ns
So now we get the political complications of dealing with all those countries that own ASAT weapons.