Could the sun be economically used as a source of energy in your area? Why or why not? (theres a 2nd ? below)?

Question

Why would the Binary Cycle geothermal power plant have less impact on the environment compared to the other two types of geothermal power plants?

Answer 1

Near the equator, the average solar irradiation is ~ 230 W/m^2.

Now let's say a PV panel has a 12% efficiency (typical).

That means 1 m^2 of installed PV can produce 20 kWh per month.

An average home requires 500 kWh / month, meaning that 25 m^2 of installed PV can supply all domestic energy. A roof is easily more than 25 m^2.

The only thing that screws all of this up is the capital cost of installing all those PV units / battery storage / AC inverters. But many governments around the world are subsidizing the cost of this technology, to encourage people to invest in solar energy. The US aims to have 1 million roofs equipped with PV by 2010.