I’m consistently impressed by Chinese timelines.
Every time I hear projections about America it’s always “by 2030” or “by 2050” and shit like that - meanwhile, China is accomplishing more in less than half the time.
But at what cost?
Does 1TW not sound as impressive as 1000GW?
I think you’re misunderstanding to some degree. While silicon PV caps out at around 24% (I think up to 27% now), 100% conversion is basically impossible because of physics.
Plus, the sun basically has infinite energy, so it’s not like efficiency is that big of a concern compared to energy density.
Solar isn’t a solution for everything and that’s precisely why China is pursuing a multi pronged approach for its transition off fossil fuels. China is actively developing wind power, geothermal, hydro, and nuclear on a massive scale. Each of these technologies has its own pros and cons, and they all work together.
Let’s start using TW and TWh units then! https://g.co/bard/share/6726b69136a9