Covering every roof with solar could supply 2/3 of global electricity – study
If the world covered every suitable roof with solar panels, it could supply 2/3 of humanity’s total electricity consumption – allowing the globe to transition completely off of fossil electricity generation, according to a new study out of the University of Sussex.
The study examined satellite data to determine the total suitable roof area around the planet which could be used for rooftop solar panels. It took into account roof slope, shading from other buildings, and so on.
It found that rooftop solar could provide a total of 19,483TWh of electricity, which is about 2/3 of global electricity use (which was 29,664TWh in 2023).
This total is actually more than the amount of electricity the world currently generates from fossil fuels – that number was 17,718TWh in 2024, driven mostly by coal and methane, two highly polluting sources.
Thus, if all of the world’s roofs were covered with solar panels, all of current fossil fuel electricity generation could be eliminated, taking a big chunk out of the unhealthy pollution created by human activities.
Certain regions are seen as more ripe for deployment of solar panels, like East Asia which has a large percentage of the world’s building stock (due to the region’s high population), and Africa where despite low housing stock, solar penetration is currently very low and solar capacity is high.
In total, the study says that this move alone could reduce global temperatures by 0.13C. While that number doesn’t seem too large, it’s a big chunk of the 1.5C warming “budget” that scientists have determined the world has to work with – and every bit of movement past that number risks additional cascading effects that will make the world less livable for humans and other species, and cause more catastrophic effects like we’re already seeing as a result of the fossil fuel industry’s operations around the globe.
The study does include a caveat that as world temperatures continue to rise, this could make certain types of solar panels less effective, leading to a drop in total generation capacity. Thus, the more we confront climate change now, the more effective this tactic will be.
However, this effect is also balanced by the potential of solar panels to be deployed more effectively by optimizing tilt angles. The study’s base case assumes flat horizontal installations – but if optimal tilt angles or solar tracking was used, the panels could be up to 39% more effective. This means if the world covered every roof with sun-tracking panels, it couldn’t just cover 2/3 of electricity production, but all of it.
It also doesn’t cover the potential of large grid-tied solar projects, just rooftops. If we used certain desert land for solar plants (which could regenerate desertified locales), that only adds to the world’s solar potential.
But we have only compared these numbers to current electricity use. The world does use energy for lots of other things – and one of the largest chunks of this is oil for transportation. As global transportation shifts rapidly to electrification, this will mean electricity use will go up significantly (though total energy use for transportation will go down – since EVs are much more efficient than gas cars).
So while rooftop solar may be enough for our current electricity needs in an ideal situation where every rooftop is covered, there will still be other sources needed to cover the rest of the shifting landscape of electricity use. Ideally, those sources will be clean – which shouldn’t be hard, given that renewables are cheaper than fossil generation.
Further, solar is less suitable in some areas than others, and for certain tasks (such as the obvious nighttime electricity use), so electricity storage (either provided by EVs, home battery systems, or grid storage) or other low-carbon generation methods like wind, hydro or nuclear still have a place, particularly in instances when they have cost advantages.
Electrek’s Take
Among some governments’ efforts to make energy more expensive and harmful to your health, it’s nice to have some good news sometimes.
This study provides that news, showing that the roofs above our heads, which currently provide no active benefit (beyond the passive benefits of heat retention, shelter from elements and so on), could be leveraged without having to build any additional structures or use any additional land, and could cover a huge portion of our current energy use.
It’s something that has been estimated by advocates many times before, but now we have a study showing just how effective rooftop solar can be.
Not to mention that it can help you save money on your energy bills, while you contribute to solving the biggest problem humanity has ever had to confront (and hey, lookie here, Electrek even has a handy affiliate link to help you find out how much money you can save… isn’t that nice!)
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Environment
Toyota the EV battery supplier? Honda will use them to power up its 400,000 hybrids in the US
Toyota is now a battery supplier? That’s the plan. Honda will use Toyota’s batteries to power up its around 400,000 hybrids sold in the US.
Toyota will supply batteries for Honda hybrids in the US
Toyota’s $14 billion battery plant in North Carolina is ready for business. The facility will begin shipping out batteries next month, and it looks like Toyota already has its first customer.
According to a new Nikkei report, starting in fiscal 2025, Toyota will supply batteries for the roughly 400,000 Honda hybrids sold in the US.
Honda currently uses batteries from China and Japan for vehicles sold in the US, but the company is (like most) preparing for changes under Trump.
Honda’s electrified vehicles, including EVs and hybrids, accounted for over a quarter of US sales last year. The company sold over 308,500 hybrids and 40,400 electric vehicles in the US in 2024. The batteries will likely be used in the CR-V and other Honda hybrid vehicles.
Earlier this month, an extra 10% tariff on imports from China took effect. And that’s on top of the 10% imposed in February.
With more expected, including a 25% increase in vehicles imported from Japan, automakers are tightening up their supply chains.
A 25% tariff on Japanese vehicles, up from 2.5% currently, is estimated to cost the six major Japanese automakers about $20 billion in the US.
Tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada could cost Honda roughly $4.7 billion alone. Teaming up with Toyota to use its batteries for its hybrids is part of Japan’s broader global plans to ween off dependence on China and others for batteries and other emerging tech.
The new US plant, Toyota Battery Manufacturing North Carolina (TBMC), is over seven million square feet, or about the size of 121 football fields.
As Toyota’s first in-house battery factory outside of Japan, the plant could be a game changer as Trump’s tariffs take effect. Securing Honda as a buyer will already help Toyota cut costs as it ramps up output.
Toyota plans to ramp up electrified vehicle (EV, PHEV, and hybrid) sales in North America from around 40% last year to 80% by 2030.
Electrek’s Take
Trump’s tariffs are already causing havoc, with nearly every automaker warning that they put the US further behind. Overseas automakers are not the only ones feeling the heat, either.
The “Big Three,” GM, Ford, and Jeep maker Stellantis all build vehicles in Canada and Mexico. GM cut output at its plant in Mexico in January, where the electric Chevy Equinox, Blazer, and Honda Prologue are made. Stellantis halted operations at its Brampton Assembly Plant in Canada last month, where it was expected to launch the Jeep Compass EV production. What’s next?
For Toyota, it looks like its $14 billion bet to build batteries in the US is already paying off. Now, we just need it to introduce more EVs.
After unveiling three new electric SUVs in Europe last week, including the updated bZ4X, Toyota hinted more is on the way for the US. Check back soon for updates.
What do you think? Do you want to see more Toyota EVs in the US, like the new C-HR+? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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Environment
If Musk wants to sell Tesla cars to conservatives, Tesla needs stores and service in red states
Elon Musk wants to sell Tesla cars to conservatives, but if that’s the strategy, the automaker should start with having stores and service centers in red states and rural areas.
It’s no secret that Elon Musk’s approval ratings with progressives have been plummeting over the last few years and even more so in the previous few months.
Since he has control over Tesla and he is the only official spokesperson since he let go of the PR department in 2020, the CEO is dragging the automaker along for the ride.
This is a problem for Tesla as Democrats are much more likely to buy electric vehicles than Republicans:
Tesla’s sales have been crumbling over the last few months, and after the stock crashed 15% last Monday, President Trump held a controversial commercial for Tesla with Musk on the steps of the White House on Tuesday.
A day later, it was reported that Musk plans to give Trump another $100 million in political donations.
It was an apparent attempt to try to promote Tesla to Trump’s fans: conservatives.
Based on a Tesla inventory check and new order delivery timeline, we reported that the Trump ad appeared to have little to no impact on the demand for Tesla vehicles.
It could be that people see through Musk and Trump’s quid pro quo and, therefore, don’t value Trump’s “Tessler” endorsement seriously. Still, there’s also a more practical reason why Trump’s fans and conservatives generally don’t buy more Tesla vehicles: the locations of Tesla’s stores and service centers (hat tip to Ben).
Even if some Trump fans were interested in buying a Tesla after the White House commercial last week, they might have been turned off by the idea of having to drive several hours to a store or service center.
Tesla does not have stores or service centers in Alabama, Arkansas, North and South Dakota, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, or Wyoming.
In some cases, it’s not entirely Tesla’s fault, as some of these states have laws against Tesla’s direct sale models. They force automakers to go through third-party franchise dealerships. This is an abuse of old state laws aimed at protecting dealers against unfair competition from the automakers they represent.
Car dealer lobbies use their influence on state legislatures to use these laws to block Tesla, Rivian, Lucid, and other automakers who never had franchise dealerships from operating their own stores and service centers.
But on top of not having locations in several red states, Tesla also primarily has locations in urban areas, whereas conservatives disproportionally live in rural areas.
The automaker has several dead zones and doesn’t operate locations in smaller cities and towns where there are several Ford, GM, Toyota, and other car dealers:
While it certainly does happen, it’s hard to convince someone to buy a car if they have to drive several hours to pick it up and have it serviced.
Electrek’s Take
In short, it’s not only harder to convince conservatives, on average, to buy an electric vehicle, but Tesla is also not correctly set up to sell and service cars in conservative regions of the US.
Though, I think that’s a small part of the problem.
Cars are not supposed to be political.
Even if Tesla successfully converted a significant percentage of conservatives to electric vehicles, it wouldn’t stop the company’s brand destruction.
Tesla’s reputation amongst Democrats and independents has sharply decreased over the last few years, and especially over the last few months, and that’s thanks to Elon Musk alienating them.
It’s tough to be a successful consumer product company when you have alienated 50% or so of your market.
Tesla is basically becoming the MyPillow of Trump’s second term.
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