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TED-Ed

Why don’t we cover the desert with solar panels? - Dan Kwartler

5,443,894 Views

21,021 Questions Answered

TEDEd Animation

Let’s Begin…

Stretching over roughly nine million square kilometers and with sands reaching temperatures of up to 80° Celsius, the Sahara Desert receives about 22 million terawatt hours of energy from the Sun every year. That’s well over 100 times more energy than humanity consumes annually. So, could covering the desert with solar panels solve our energy problems? Dan Kwartler digs into the possibility.

Watch the video and finish the Think section to complete the lesson.


About TED-Ed Animations

TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

Educator
Dan Kwartler
Director
Christoph Sarow, AIM Creative Studios
Narrator
Jack Cutmore-Scott
Storyboard Artist
Christoph Sarow
Animator
Joana Matos, Rudá Virginio, Lena Fraundienst, Christoph Sarow, Cristina Neto
Music
André Aires
Sound Designer
André Aires
Special Thanks
Erik Pihl
Director of Production
Gerta Xhelo
Editorial Director
Alex Rosenthal
Producer
Bethany Cutmore-Scott
Editorial Producer
Dan Kwartler
Fact-Checker
Jennifer Nam, Charles Wallace

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