This story was originally published on HackerNoon at: https://hackernoon.com/nasas-next-great-observatory-could-detect-alien-solar-power-systems.
Investigating the amount of solar radiation that would power Earth and the possibility of detecting extraterrestrial solar panels from a distance of light years
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This study investigates the detectability of silicon-based photovoltaics as technosignatures on exoplanets and measures the global energy potential of solar panels. Covering just 2.4% of Earth's land may meet global energy demands in 2022 with an average solar power density of 5.4 W/m2, while covering 23% would far surpass human needs.